The Next Step
by SharonS
Summary: A look at what happened after Barltet read his middle daughter the riot act over her comments regarding the Surgeon General
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Next Step

Author: Sharon

Rating: NC-17

Spoiler: A/U following Ellie

Summary: A story to see what other possibilities could have occurred from the president ordering his middle daughter to come to his office. Again I hope to turn this into a series involving Ellie Bartlet and Josh Lyman.

Disclaimer: The characters of course do not belong to me, I just like to take them out and play with them every once in a while. Sort of like adult Barbies. Hope you enjoy the story

Thanks to mom2sandc for a few ideas.

**The Next Step**

Eleanor Bartlet replaced the telephone receiver to its cradle. The phone call hadn't taken her by surprise as she'd been expecting it. She was however disappointed, since she'd clung to the hope that he would have at least had the decency to call her himself, he hadn't. Instead, Charlie Young had made the call, ordered to do so she was sure.

She wiped away the stray tear that was running down her cheek and stood. She quickly stepped out of her room to encounter the secret serviceman coming out of his own room situated across the hall from hers. She gave Don Markel a small smile. "I need to go to the White House," she informed him and was met with a curt nod of his head.

While Agent Markel started the plans for her departure into motion, Ellie, as her friends and family referred to her, slipped back into her room and prepared herself for the journey to her father's office.

She'd been alone in her room watching an old Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre movie. She'd been in her pajama's lying in bed eating popcorn when Charlie had called. She knew it was a rather sad state of affairs for a twenty-four year old to be doing on any night of the week, let alone a Friday night, but she'd given up on any type of romance since her father had taken the oath of office two years earlier. Oh, there'd been offers but she didn't take the bait. She didn't like not knowing whether a gentleman friend was interested in her, Ellie Bartlet, or Ellie Bartlet first daughter. She knew a couple of the fraternities on campus had an on going scavenger hunt, sleeping with her was apparently an item on their lists. She didn't know however what the "winner" would win, or worse yet, what kind of proof he needed.

She had friends, most of them were out tonight at one of the local pubs having a good time, they'd invited her to come along, but she'd balked. Not really feeling like partying on this particular night. She knew her father was going to be furious with her and wasn't in the mood to let go and have a good time. She figured she may as well stay home and wait for the summons she knew was coming her way.

She quickly dressed and applied a small amount of make up to her pale face. The butterflies in her stomach were making her feel queasy. The worst thing in the world she could think of doing was having to face her father while he was irate, and she knew he would be. She threw on her coat and grabbed her purse walking out into the corridor closing and locking her door behind her.

Don had remained quiet during the forty-five minute drive to the White House. She figured he must know how she was feeling. Nobody liked having to explain themselves to their parents, but when one of them was the President, well, Don must have sensed how nervous she was because Don would normally engage her in a bit of small talk during the early moments of her departure. Tonight however he remained silent.

WW

"Hi."

Ellie looked up to see her younger sister walking into her bedroom on Saturday morning.

"Hi." She replied.

"I hear you're here for the weekend." Zoey asked.

"Yeah."

"Wanna do something?"

"Sure, like what?" Ellie asked eyeing her very cheery younger sister.

"I don't know, we usually have fun shopping."

"Okay, sounds fun."

The two made their way into the family kitchen in the White House residence. The smell of bacon permeated the air. Jed stood in front of the stove keeping a watchful eye over the bacon and eggs in separate frying pans. "Good morning!" he sang when he heard his daughters enter the room.

"Hi." Zoey stepped up and kissed her father on the cheek as he leaned down anticipating his youngest daughter's affections.

He watched Ellie as she made herself a coffee, "Sleep okay?" he asked her.

"Yes." She replied taking a sip from her mug, "Do you know if Josh Lyman is in his office today?"

"There's a good chance he will be at some point. Usually if he comes in on Saturday it's in the morning. Why?"

"I just wanted to talk to him." She shrugged.

WW

Ellie walked through the halls of the west wing smiling politely to those who greeted her. She didn't know most of them. That was one of the things she disliked about her father's position in politics, everybody always knew who she was. It made her uncomfortable. She knew her sisters didn't seem bothered by it, although both of them, Zoey especially, detested having secret service detail. She however didn't mind, she found it reassuring to have someone looking out for her.

In many ways she envied her sisters. Liz was the oldest and seemed to welcome the world of politics, so much so that she married a politician. Zoey, while not liking the confines of being the President's child brought, seemed able to go with the flow better than even Liz or herself.

She was about to turn a corner leading to the Deputy Chief of Staff's office when she heard Toby Ziegler saying Josh's name. She stopped, trying to decide whether to interrupt or not when she felt a hand placed on her back, between her shoulder blades. She turned to see one of her father's speechwriters, Sam Seaborn, looking down at her.

"Hi, Ellie." He smiled warmly at her.

"Oh hi, Sam."

"What brings you down here?" he inquired.

"I was hoping to speak to Josh. But if he's busy…"

"No, no, I'll get him." Sam replied just before walking into Toby's office.

Only a few seconds passed before Josh walked out. "Hey, Ellie, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I was just hoping to talk…"

"Kay, let's go to my office." Josh replied starting down the hallway. When they reached his office he reached into his refrigerator grabbing a water bottle. "You want a water?"

"No thanks."

"Beer?" he looked back into his fridge.

"No, I'm fine thanks." She smiled while taking a seat and watching him take his seat behind the desk.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" She confessed.

"Na, I just wanted Toby's opinion on a briefing before I give it to Leo."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Now what's up?"

"I wanted to apologize…" she was unable to finish her sentence.

Raising his eyebrows, Josh asked, "For what?"

"My comments regarding the Surgeon General and my father."

"Oh. It's okay."

"No it's not. I knew exactly what I was dong when I made the comment. I just didn't stop to think that anything I say causes commotion and more work for you and the rest of the staff. That wasn't my intent and I'm sorry for that."

"It's all right, Ellie, honestly, it's part of our job to spin things."

"Still, I apologize, I didn't know that Leo was with my dad at the time, so I didn't realize that left you in the position to figure all this out. At least Leo's in a position to speak to me about things, as a family friend." She smiled weakly.

"Again, it wasn't a problem, at least not a large one," Josh smiled. "But in the future if you want to run any statements by CJ before feeding them to the press, it would be appreciated."

"Like I said, I didn't think. I was trying to back my father into a corner and forgot it also backed you and everyone else into the corner with him. That wasn't fair."

"No sweat. It's over. All's forgotten."

"What about forgiven?"

"Nothing to forgive." He smiled just as a knock sounded on the doorframe of his open doorway.

"Hey, Zoey." Josh stood and walked up to her, giving the youngest Bartlet sibling a hug.

"Hi, Josh. You done with my sister yet?"

"She's all yours." He replied.

Ellie rose to her feet, "Well, I guess we can get going then." She glared at Zoey.

"Yeah. Looks like we'll be able to do lunch as well." Zoey smirked at her sister. "You wanna come, Josh?" She asked.

Josh looked between the two sisters, "Um, I think I'll pass thanks, but you two have fun." He replied before slipping out of the room and walking down the hallway back towards Toby's office.

"Nice swagger, Lyman!" Zoey hollered after him.

"Zoey!" Ellie said.

"What? He knows I'm teasing." The younger sister replied.

WW

After shopping for a couple of hours, the two were being seated at a table in a local Georgetown restaurant. Pacing their orders they continued to carry on as only siblings could. Banter had never come easy for Ellie, but she'd always felt at ease with her younger sister. Zoey had a way with people that Ellie wished she had. Zoey always seemed to make friends quickly and effortlessly.

"So, how's it going with you and Charlie?"

"Alright. Are you seeing anyone these days?" Zoey asked.

"No."

"Why?"

Ellie shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I guess I'm not interested in anyone."

"Do you date?" Zoey inquired.

"Yeah."

"But there's no one special?" Zoey pressed just as the waitress arrived with their salads.

They thanked the young woman and each poured the dressing over their greens. "Hmm, this is good." Zoey moaned.

"Very." Ellie agreed.

"So, why not?" Zoey returned to their previous conversation.

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you interested in anyone?"

The middle Bartlet sister sighed and placed her fork on the table. None of her friends understood her dilemma; not that she really expected them to, she wouldn't if the tables were reversed. Zoey, she knew, would understand, so she decided to confide in her. She picked up the napkin from her lap and wiped it across her mouth.

"Zoey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Before you and Charlie started dating, how did you know whether or not guys were interested in you for you, or for you the President's daughter?"

Zoey looked at her sister and saw the pain in her eyes. She knew exactly what her sister was going through. Being Jed Bartlet's daughter certainly had it's draw backs, dating being one of them. "Honestly, Ell, I never did, not until I'd been on a few dates with them. It's not easy, is it?"

"No, it's not." Ellie smiled weakly.

"Do you ever wish we were a normal family?" Zoey asked.

"Are you kidding me? Surely you must know the answer to that." Ellie replied.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I do too, you know. I know I seem to handle it all easy enough, but there are times…" Zoey sighed. "Do you have any idea how I felt when Dad told me they were getting death threats against Charlie because he was dating me? I won't even get into Rosslyn." She huffed, turning away.

"Yeah, I guess that would be tough." Ellie hadn't really thought about her sister's role in Rosslyn. She'd never forget the way her stomach felt as if it had dropped to the bottom of her feet when Don had told her the news about her father having been shot. One of the most embarrassing moments in her life would probably remain the moment she vomited in the back of her chauffeur driven sedan, although Zoey had confessed to her later that she'd done exactly the same thing. Those moments had been the scariest of her life. She had no idea how badly her father had been hurt. At the time she hadn't even known Zoey had been with him, so she hadn't thought about her younger sister at all. Later that evening when she'd heard the news that Josh had been shot and was in critical condition she'd cried herself to sleep. How could something like this have happened she'd wondered?

Just then a couple of young teenage girls approached their table. "Oh my gosh! Are you guys, you know, the President's daughters?" The shorter of the two squealed.

"Ma'am, we're going to have to ask you to step back a bit." Don moved in and said to the girls.

Realizing the mistake she'd made the teen did as she was told. "Sorry." She said to the two women eating.

"It's okay." Zoey smiled at her, "They don't like people getting too close." Zoey nodded her head at Don and her own secret service agent, Gina.

"Sure. I understand. Nice seeing you."

"You, too." Zoey smile again.

When the kids and the agents had retreated, Ellie looked at her sister. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm. Don't you find it bizarre that a total stranger knows who you are, wants to talk to you, and can't because you have a body guard?"

Zoey laughed, "Of course it's bizarre, but Ellie, it's not going to change. You have to find peace with it."

"I don't think I can."

"Anyway, back to your question. Even with Charlie it wasn't easy. He has so much respect for dad that it sometimes got in the way."

"Really, how so?" Ellie asked.

"In the beginning, when we first started dating, he wouldn't touch me. I could tell he wanted to, but he wouldn't. As I got to know him better, I realized it wasn't me and it wasn't him exactly, it was the respect he held for dad that was holding him back. It was driving me crazy. I finally had to take things into my own hands, if you know what I mean." Zoey smiled.

"Yeah." The elder sister nodded her head up and down with a knowing smirk.

The sisters ate the rest of their meal without incident and headed back to the White

House residence.

Monday morning the president, the first lady, and their two youngest daughters shared a breakfast prepared by the resident kitchen staff. Jed, although not happy with the recent events involving his middle daughter, was happy to have some issues between he and Ellie cleared up. He knew she shied away from the spotlight and he had come to grips with her often absences during campaigning and other White House duties, but he had had no idea her thoughts and feelings on the matter ran as deep as they did. Or that she actually had father/daughter issues. He felt like she had reached down his throat and ripped out his stomach when she'd yelled at him that he'd need to ask Zoey or Liz what to do if he wanted to be happy. So needless to say he was pleased when Ellie agreed to return the following weekend in order to spend some family time with he and Abby once again.

WW

The following Friday afternoon Ellie finished classes at four o'clock and was back in her dorm room within forty minutes, even including a stop at the library to sign out a book she needed in order to study for an upcoming test.

She quickly packed everything she thought she might need and by five-thirty was in a black sedan being driven to the White House, her secret service agents in tow.

By the time she arrived in Washington she was famished so quickly put her things away in the bedroom assigned to her on visits and proceeded to the kitchen. There she found Zoey standing in front of the stove armed with a pair of tongs.

"Hey."

"Hi, you hungry?" Zoey asked.

"Starving."

"I'm making a BLT, want one?"

"Yes." Ellie replied reaching for the loaf of bread sitting on the counter and popped two more slices into the toaster, before slicing another tomato.

"I just got off the phone with Charlie. He's in the mess with some of the staff, you wanna come down with me once we've eaten?"

"I don't know…" Ellie looked uncomfortable.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Zoey begged.

"Zoey, I don't know those people like you do."

"So."

"So, I'll feel out of place."

"No you won't. They're nice people, they won't make you uncomfortable or anything."

"Maybe they're working, we shouldn't…"

"Ellie, they're in the mess at seven on a Friday night. They're just hanging out having a bite to eat. Come on." Zoey whined.

"Oh all right."

The two sat at the table once they'd assembled their sandwiches, each with a ginger ale as well. "How's school?" Ellie asked her younger sister.

"Great, you?"

"Good. I can't wait for it to be over though."

"Hmm, I suppose I'll feel that way after years of papers and exams."

"If you're doing it right." Ellie laughed. "So, did Charlie say who he was with?"

"No, but I think I could here CJ and Sam in the back ground."

"Oh." Ellie replied unable to hide a bit of the disappointment from her voice.

"You know, just because I didn't hear Josh, doesn't mean he won't be there." Zoey returned her sister's smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'd figured you were over him, but I didn't miss that look you gave me the other day in his office."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ellie defended.

"Oh please, if looks could make people disappear, I'd have vanished without a trace."

"Zoey!"

"Admit it, you still have the hots for Josh Lyman."

"Zoey!" Ellie hissed.

"You do, don't you!"

"He's an attractive man." The older sister admitted.

"Attractive… Ellie you think he's hot and you get all hot and bothered yourself whenever you're anywhere near him I bet." Zoey smiled.

"Zoey, mind your own business." Was all Ellie could come up with.

"Wow, I thought you'd be over him by now."

Ellie didn't respond to the latest comment by her sister. Obviously Zoey had no idea how deeply her so called crush, as their older sister Liz had referred to it, ran.

Finishing their late supper the two Bartlets set about tidying the kitchen before making their way from the residence to the west wing. The closer they got to the mess the tighter the knot in Ellie's stomach became. She always felt wound up when she found herself in the presence of her father's Deputy Chief of Staff, though oddly enough it always seemed worse depending on how many other people were around with a greater number making it worse.

The girls walked into the darkened room and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome from CJ Gregg, the White House Press Secretary. "Hi Zoey, Ellie." CJ smiled. "Guys, grab the girls some chairs." CJ turned to her friends already seated around the table.

Charlie and Sam did the task and soon Zoey was seated next to Charlie and Ellie next to Sam, across from Josh she noticed. Greetings were quickly exchanged and the group returned to their previous chatter.

"Okay, here's the thing. Did I, or did I not, ask you guys if you wanted anything?" Josh asked as he faced his assistant, Donna Moss.

"You did." She answered.

"And what did you say?" he asked.

"No." she smiled.

"And CJ, what did you say?" he turned to her.

"No, my mi. amour."

"Right. And yet Donna you seem to have helped yourself to my sandwich and you, CJ, keep stealing my fries." He pointed out. "Anyone else want anything? Zoey, Ellie?" he looked between the two.

"Nope."

"No thanks." Was each of their replies.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes, we ate upstairs." Zoey laughed at the feigned outrage on Josh's face.

"Hey, how come you didn't offer me any?" Ainsley Hayes asked.

"Because you would take me up on the offer. Plus, you have your own food. Unlike these two," Josh pointed between Donna and CJ, "you're not afraid to eat your own food in the presence of the male species."

"I think that was a backhanded compliment." The White House counsel replied.

"Stop whining." CJ demanded from Josh as she snatched yet another fry from his plate.

"I'm not whining. I'm just pointing out that I asked if you were hungry."

"Would you have paid?" CJ questioned.

"Absolutely, if it meant you keeping your hands to yourself."

"Most men don't complain when I don't keep my hands to myself, but since your offering, I'll take a piece of that triple chocolate fudge cake they have on special today."

Sam chuckled, "Didn't see that coming did you?" he turned to Josh.

"Blind sided me." Josh admonished as he rose from his seat.

"That was smooth." Ainsley laughed.

"Years of practice." CJ smiled, "Plus it helps that Josh has some old fashioned views on certain things."

"Like?" Charlie asked.

"Picking up a tab." CJ smirked.

Just as she finished speaking, Josh placed a succulent looking piece of cake in front of her. "Enjoy." He said as he took his seat.

"Oh, I plan to."

Just as Sam was about to ask everyone what his or her plans for the weekend were, CJ let out a moan. "Oh my god! This is awesome, here try a bite." CJ turned her fork towards Donna. "I swear it's better than sex."

Charlie coughed, Sam huffed, and Josh took the bait. "You've got to be out of your mind. I've never understood that statement."

"That's just you're ego." CJ challenged.

"No, it's not, CJ. If you think food of any kind is better than sex, then you're sleeping with the wrong people."

"I don't think so, Josh."

"For once, I have to agree with Josh." Toby spoke as he came to a stand still behind Charlie's chair.

"Maybe, if you seem to hear that statement often, than it's you who's doing something wrong." Donna piped up, looking at her boss.

"I don't think so!" Josh answered.

"Well, I for one have to admit, sex is better than chocolate, but why separate the two?" Ainsley asked.

Josh and Sam both turned to look at the blonde woman continuing to eat her dinner.

"Now you're talking." Charlie replied.

"Charlie!" Zoey warned.

"I'm just saying…" he said.

"Forget it." Zoey stared at him.

"I hate to break up this heated debate, but I'm gonna need you for a bit, Sam." Toby broke into the conversation again.

"Okay."

"Anything wrong?" Josh asked.

"Nope, the President doesn't like the speech, that's all."

"Great. There goes my weekend." Sam frowned.

"Speaking of speeches, I've got some work to finish up." CJ quipped.

"Me, too." Ainsley said.

"What about you?" Charlie asked Josh.

"Nope, nothing pressing. Has the president dismissed you yet?"

"Yeah, wanna go shoot some pool?"

"Sure, you wanna join us, Donna?" Josh asked.

"No, I have a date."

"Kay. See ya on Monday unless something comes up."

Everyone dispersed and Josh found himself waiting at the doors to the residence with Charlie, while Zoey freshened up. "You sure Zoey doesn't mind?" he asked not wanting to break up any plans that the couple might have already had.

"No, she'll have fun."

"Kay."

They only waited a few more minutes before Zoey and Ellie returned. "I talked Ellie into coming along. I assured her you guys wouldn't mind."

"Not at all." Josh smiled at the quietest of the three Bartlet daughters.

An hour later the foursome was at the Georgetown Station, a pub on M Street not far from both the White House and Josh's place. While Josh and Charlie played a game of pool, Zoey and Ellie sat at a booth chatting, Zoey drinking a ginger ale while Ellie was working on a Singapore sling.

"Do you think they look a little out of place?" Ellie grinned; noticing most of the patrons wore jeans and T-shirts, while the two White House staffers remained in their suits. Although both had removed their jacket and ties for comfort, Josh she noticed had also rolled his shirt sleeves up.

"Just a little. They look good though, don't you think?" Zoey watched Charlie hitting the cue ball.

Looking at her sister, back at the guys and once again at her sister, Ellie nodded her head. "Oh yeah."

"Don't you think it's about time you did something about your crush?"

"It's not a crush." Ellie admonished.

"Infatuation then."

"Zoey."

"It's been years, Ellie."

"He doesn't even know me."

"That can change."

"What can change?" Charlie asked as he took a seat beside his girlfriend.

"Nothing." Ellie responded as Josh slide into the booth beside her resting his arm along the back of their shared bench. She didn't trust Zoey's answer.

"I put our names up for a game." Charlie told Zoey.

"Kay."

"So Josh, you seeing anyone these days?" Zoey turned her attention to Josh, taking a pull on her straw.

"No." Josh answered just as their waitress stopped at the table.

"You guys need anything?" She smiled.

"Two Corona's and…what are you having Ellie?" Josh asked.

"Sling."

"And a sling." Josh said eyeing Zoey's drink and noticed it was still almost full.

"You got it." The young blonde answered then twirled on her heels and headed for the bar

"Oh, I love this song, let's dance." Zoey nudged Charlie out of the booth.

"Okay." And with that Josh and Ellie were left alone.

"How's school?" Josh asked.

"Good, can't wait for it to end though."

"I'll bet."

"I'm surprised you didn't stay at work, from the way my father talks, you're a workaholic."

"Guilty as charged." Josh grinned, sending Ellie's stomach into a spiral at the sight of his dimples. "But I have nothing pressing on the table."

The waitress arrived, "Here we are, two Corona's and a sling." She took the drinks form her tray and placed them on the table.

Josh reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. He noticed Ellie reaching into her purse. "Don't worry about it Ellie, I've got it."

"You sure?"

"Yep. I'm pretty sure I make more than you." He smiled at her again and she couldn't help but return it.

The waitress made change and placed it on the table in front of Josh; he quickly gave her a generous tip and turned back to the woman beside him as he took a pull on his beer. "You should do that more often." He said.

"Do what?" She asked.

"Smile. It's a good look on you."

Before she could respond Charlie and Zoey returned. Secretly Ellie was happy for the distraction, as she didn't know what to respond to Josh's compliment. The foursome spent the next thirty minutes engaged in a conversation about the Mets before Charlie piped up. "Our names are up, Zoey." He nodded toward the pool tables.

"Oh, I don't really feel like playing anymore." Before Charlie could suggest he and Josh play again she continued, "Maybe Josh and Ellie would like to play."

"Oh, no. I don't think so."

"Why not?" Josh asked Ellie.

"I'm not very good."

"Not a problem, I'll help you." He climbed out of the booth and picked up his bottle of beer, waiting.

Ellie threw her sister a look before resigning herself to her immediate future. "Okay." She too grabbed her drink and climbed out of the booth, following Josh to one of the three tables. She watched him as he walked over to the chalkboard and drew a line threw Charlie and Zoey's names. Placing his beer on the side of the table he reached into his pocket pulling out a handful of quarters. He slid them into slots and pushed the lever releasing the balls, and quickly set about racking them up.

"You wanna break?" he asked the presidents daughter.

Ellie looked at the balls sitting in the form of a triangle, then at Josh. "I'm really not very good."

"Should I be placing a wager then?" he smiled at her.

"Not if you have even an ounce of mercy."

"Okay, no bets. Come on, give it a whirl." He said handing her a cue stick.

Ellie was self conscious enough playing a game she wasn't very good at, but having Josh Lyman, a man she'd been crazy about for years watching here was elevating her state of self-awareness. She walked up to him and took the offered stick; she leaned over and broke the balls. She had to admit, she did better than she thought she would, but knew by Josh's raised eyebrows something was wrong.

"Not very good, eh?"

"No, it was fine, not legal but fine. Why not try again?" he answered.

Ellie looked at the balls and how little they had seperated and scattered, "Why isn't it legal?"

"Um, well you either have to pocket a ball or at least four balls have to go to the rails." He answered spreading his arms to the sides of the table to help make his point.

"Oh, are you angry?" she asked.

"No, why would I be mad? Come on, let's do it again." He replied while resetting the balls into the triangular rack. "You're problem was you didn't follow through with your hit." Josh explained when she leaned back over the table.

Josh showed her as he hit an imaginary ball on the table. "See how my arm extended after the hit? Try it without hitting the cue ball."

Ellie did as he instructed and had to admit it felt much different this time.

"Okay, lets see if you learned anything."

Ellie once again hit the cue ball with her stick but allowed her arm to follow through this time. The balls made a much louder racket as they hit each other this time and scattered father apart.

"Great." Josh cheered.

Josh took over and made four shots in succession, allowing Ellie to have a few sips of her drink and better yet, allowing her time to observe the White House Deputy Chief of Staff without it being obvious. She liked what she saw, a lot! Her father had only been in office for two years now, and had only taken on what would become his senior staff a year prior to that; it seemed she'd been very aware of Josh Lyman much longer than those three years.

She knew he could be a major thorn in her father's sides at times, either by making the wrong comment at the wrong time, or making her father see and do things he might not necessarily want to. She however only saw his good looks and sex appeal.

She also liked the way he was downplaying his billiard abilities although not making it obvious. When he missed his next shot he said, "Uh, listen Ellie, you don't have to call your shots."

"Josh."

"No, it's okay. Just have fun, no pressure."

"Kay." Deciding her best bet was trying to put the five ball in the far corner pocket she positioned herself to make the shot. Just before she took it, she glanced up at Josh. "What?" she asked when she was him frowning.

"Nothing." He said.

"Oh no you don't, what's wrong?"

"Don't you think the two in the side is easier?"

Ellie looked back down at the table, unable to see the shot he could.

Josh saw her confusion and came around to her side of the table standing behind her. "See, the two here." He pointed at the blue colored ball and then at the pocket situated right in front of them with his stick.

"Oh, I didn't see that."

"You need to take your time and look at all the angles. If it makes it easier, walk around the table while you look."

When she set herself up to take the shot he'd suggested she suddenly felt his presence behind her again. When his hands landed on her hips she actually felt a shiver run up her spine and saw goose bumps raise along her arms. Then she felt his foot nestled between hers and come to rest beside one of hers, pushing against it.

"Spread your legs a bit more, Ellie." She managed to suppress a groan but had to shut her eyes to do so. Even though the words had been spoken innocently enough she couldn't help but fantasize that he'd spoken them in a sexual manner. She did as he suggested and widened her stance.

"Feel that? It gives you a better center of gravity. It also helps with your follow through."

Ellie peeled her eyes open and swallowed, suddenly feeling parched.

"Okay, shoot." Josh spoke, still standing behind her, but off to one side now.

She took her shot and actually laughed when she saw the number two ball disappear into the hole. "Oh my gosh. I did it!" she exclaimed.

"See, easy as pie." He leaned his hip against the pool table watching her. It wasn't often Ellie Bartlet showed much emotion Josh thought to himself, but he liked her smile, it was warm and genuine. He watched as she walked around the table looking at the scattered balls. Josh knew what her shot should be, but decided to remain silent and let her find it on her own.

"Hey guys." Zoey approached the table and hip checked Josh.

"Hi." Josh looked down at her.

"We're gonna get going." She announced. Ellie stopped in her tracks and looked at her sister, the ratfink.

"You need her?" Josh asked nodding towards Ellie.

"Nope, you two stay and have fun. Charlie needs to get home."

"Babysitter has to be home at eleven." Charlie explained.

"Okay." Josh replied noticing a strange look come across Ellie face. When Zoey and Charlie walked away, Josh turned to her. "I can take you home now if you want."

Ellie looked at Josh and knew the last thing she wanted was for the night to end. "Only if you want to. You know, if you have something to do."

"Nope. You want another drink?" he asked nodding his head to her almost empty glass.

"Kay."

He returned a few minutes later to find she'd made the shot he'd seen earlier. "Your turn done?"

"Yeah."

The two took another thirty minutes to finish their game. Ellie was pretty sure Josh had thrown some of his shots, but she didn't mind. She actually had fun and was sad to see Josh sink the last ball.

"You wanna sit or take off?" he asked as he replaced their cue sticks to their racks. As they walked back to their booth he asked, "Does your sister leave you stranded often?"

"No, we don't hang out that much really and she never would have left me alone."

"I guess I'm your knight in shinning armor."

"Looks like it."

"Let's get out of here." Josh suggested while placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her out the door. He immediately noticed the young man wearing a suit speak into his wrist and realized it was Ellie's secret service detail. He'd gotten used to the secret service since working at the White House but it always took him off guard when he noticed them during his non-working hours. Of course, those times were usually when Zoey was around, he hadn't really thought of Ellie as having her own detail as well. But of course she would have them as well.

The two walked along the street at a slow pace. When they reached a set of lights Josh stopped. "Well, you wanna go home, or come back to my place for a bit?"

Understanding a decision had to be made in order for them to decide on which direction they took Ellie shrugged, saying, "It's early."

"My place it is." Josh took her elbow into his hand and directed her towards his place. When he unlocked the door to his apartment, the secret service agent stepped in front of him. "Mr. Lyman, if you could wait here a minute."

"Sure." Josh replied watching the man walk into his apartment. A few minutes later the man returned to the hallway and spoke into a microphone attached to his wrist, "All clear." Turning to Josh and Ellie he said, "Okay."

The pair walked into his place and Josh once again shed the suit jacket he'd put on when they'd decided to leave the pub. "I'm gonna change. Make yourself at home."

Ellie took in her surroundings. Though not the tidiest of places, she discovered Josh wasn't messy either. Placing her purse on a table beside the door she walked into the room and took a seat on the sofa. The piece of furniture was extremely comfortable; she sank into it, welcoming it like a security blanket. Although secure was not what she was feeling. She suddenly realized she was now alone with the man of her dreams.

"You want a drink?" he asked returning to the room wearing a loose pair of jeans and a New York Mets T-shirt.

"What do you have?" she asked deciding a drink was exactly what she needed.

"Let's find out." Josh replied while retreating to his kitchen. "Looks like I have beer, orange juice, milk, and…" there was a pause as she heard him opening what sounded like a cupboard, "vodka and gin." He added.

Though she'd been drinking gin at the bar in the form of the Singapore Slings, Josh hadn't mentioned anything in his list that would go with gin, so she opted for mixing her drinks. "Vodka and orange juice I guess."

"Sure."

She could hear him fixing her drink so she got up and took a small tour around the room. A tall narrow bookcase sat against one wall so she walked over to it taking in its contents. A lot of political biographies, political binders, law books, and pictures filled the shelves. Looking at the pictures, her eyes were immediately drawn to one with Josh and her father at one of the Inaugural Balls, probably the one at the White House put on for campaign staffers. It was a candid shot with neither of the men looking into the camera, instead they seemed to be in deep conversation, each with a champagne flute in their hands. She could see her mother off to one side. She couldn't help but notice how handsome Josh looked in his tuxedo. She also noticed the look on her father's face. Pride was written all over it as he looked at the younger man. A small pang of jealousy shot through her, wishing she could put that look on her father's face.

"That was an incredible night." Josh came to stand beside her. "You were there weren't you?" he asked as he handed her the drink.

"Yeah. It was overwhelming."

"I'll never forget that night. We worked so hard to get there, it was surreal."

"I remember how festive it was, and how happy everyone was." She took the glass, noticing he didn't stay but went to sit on the couch, a beer in his hand. She followed him and took a sip of her vodka.

"How come we don't see more of you?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm busy." She shrugged.

"You don't like the spotlight much, do you?"

"No." She shook her head. "But you know, he has Zoey and Liz to show up at all the right places with him."

Josh frowned, "I'm sure he'd still like to have you around more."

"Maybe."

"Ellie, of course he would, and not just politically, although you'd make good copy." Seeing she didn't like that too much, Josh explained, "You're a pretty girl, Ellie, photographers would love to shoot you more. You and your mother both."

Ellie looked at him as if he'd just grown a second head, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Yeah." He answered like his answer should be obvious.

"Oh." She took another sip of her drink and looked away from him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable to know that?"

"Yes, no, I mean, I'm sure you look at me and see Jed Bartlet's kid, so hearing you say that is kinda weird."

"No, I don't anymore, I used to, but you've matured into a beautiful woman. I'm sure the press would love to take advantage of it."

Ellie looked at Josh again. She had no idea how to proceed from here. Was he just stating a fact, or was he coming on to her? She had no idea. She wasn't as experienced as many of the women in her age group. She had boyfriends in the past, but none since a few months after her father had taken the oath of office. That had been two years previous. It had been just as long since she'd last had sex. After hearing about the fraternity's quest to bed her, she'd taken an aversion to sex and had become pretty picky about who she dated. Since none of the guys she dated had been around for a forth or fifth date, no sex had happened either. So not only was she not that experienced, she was rusty to boot.

"Um, I think, I mean, I guess I should thank you, because I think there's a compliment in there somewhere."

"There is." Josh replied, knowing he was making her uncomfortable but unable to stop himself.

"I heard you asked Aunt Millicent for her resignation." Ellie wanted to bring the conversation back to safer ground.

"Aunt Millicent?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

Ellie smiled, "It's hard sometimes to forget the personal."

"Yeah, I guess. To answer your question, yes I did."

"I'm sorry you had to do that."

"It's okay, it was before you ever made your comment."

Ellie took another drink and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear, before running her finger back and forth along her bottom lip.

Josh watched her movements and tried to figure out what she wanted. Instincts told him to leave it all alone; after all she was his bosses daughter, much younger daughter. But since she'd shown up with Zoey at the mess hall earlier in the evening, he'd gotten certain vibes from her. Vibes that sent his masculinity into a heightened state, when they'd continued on to the pub he could have sworn he caught her starring at him a few times and there was the matter of her thigh pressed flush against his under the table. The booth hadn't really been small enough to warrant such closeness. The real kicker though had been Zoey and Charlie's early departure. Who did these girls think he was? God, he was at least twice Zoey's age. But despite all those signs, his mind screamed at him no. Ellie Bartlet was off limits. So he wasn't going to make any moves although the finger running along her lip was erotically enticing. The thing was, she didn't even seem to realize it.

He finally took a swig of his beer. After drinking practically half it's contents in one pull, Josh replaced it to his coffee table and leaned back on his couch. His back flush against the couch this time, instead of half twisted, looking at his guest like he had been earlier.

"She's my Godmother."

"Pardon?"

"Millicent Griffiths, she's my Godmother."

"Really? I didn't know that." Josh answered, a light bulb going off in his head. All of a sudden Ellie's comment to Danny regarding her father and the firing of the Surgeon General became crystal clear.

"I've known her my entire life."

"I see. That's the reason you backed your father into a corner."

She just shook her head. Again silence fell over the room. "You really think I'm pretty?"

"Yes." He turned to face her not realizing she'd moved closer to him.

Ellie leaned towards him remembering her sister's comment about taking things into her own hands with Charlie and placed her lips onto her companions. Josh closed his eyes, taking in the pleasurable sensation overcoming his body. Ellie too closed her eyes not believing she was actually kissing Josh Lyman. She felt Josh's tongue pressing against her lips and immediately gave him entrance. Her insides melted when their tongues began an age-old dance, bobbing and weaving, twirling and tangling, against one another.

When Josh turned his chest towards her, Ellie leaned her upper body into his. Her breasts pressed against his chest. When it hit her once again with whom she was with and what they were doing she moaned into his mouth. Josh placed his hand along her neck, bringing her closer to him. Ellie responded by resting her hand on his shoulder. He felt far better to the touch then any of the fantasies she'd had of him ever had. Yes, she had fantasized about moments just like this with him. The last couple of times she and her last boyfriend, John, has slept together, she'd actually imagined it was Josh she was with. Not something she would ever admit to anyone however as she wasn't proud of that act. She wouldn't even tell Zoey, her confidant these days.

Josh brought his other hand up and started running it alone her arm resting on his chest. Again goose bumps broke out on her skin. The fact that she was sitting with him on his couch involved in this type of activity was rather heady leaving her feeling light headed.

Finding her bravery she slowly caressed her hand down towards Josh's lower region. When she found what she was searching for, she stalled for a moment, surprised to find a stiff mound in Josh's jeans. This produced a groan from him, a sound sending her mind into a spiral. How many nights had she lied in bed daydreaming about doing exactly this with the White House Deputy Chief of Staff? Too many to count, that's how many!

For his part, Josh was fighting an internal battle. He knew he had to put a stop to their actions. He was a senior White House staffer making out with the President's daughter. Surely he had more resolve than this he thought silently. But he couldn't seem to make his body listen to his brain. Ellie Bartlet tasted wonderful, smelled lovely, and felt extremely womanly. When he felt her hand come to rest on the bulge in his pants he was about to put an abrupt stop to it all when she began to slowly run her hand up and down. Incredible was all he could think, and to say he was actually thinking was a complete over statement.

Her tongue was once again invading his mouth and he found himself placing both his hands on either side of her face along the underside of her chin. He knew it impossible for her to get any closer than she was but he needed to at least have the façade. He'd been too busy concentrating on their duel of tongues to notice she'd managed to undo the button on his jeans and unzip his fly.

Ellie couldn't believe she was being so bold. She'd half expected Josh to stop her when she began to part his pants. But he didn't so she continued her journey. She could feel the strain of his penis pushing against his underwear. She slipped her hand into the opening of his boxers and found the prize she'd been searching for.

Again Josh let out a groan this time breaking their kiss. He rolled his head back against the back of the sofa his eyes closed. "Ellie," was all he said?

Again she found his actions encouraging. She took Josh's penis into her hand and began to slowly pump it. Ellie kept looking into his face and couldn't believe it was her, Ellie Bartlet, putting the look of pure ecstasy on his handsome features. When her hand reached his tip, she rubbed her thumb across it. Feeling the moisture pooled there, she smeared it around the head. The gesture resulted in a further expansion of his manhood.

Josh bucked his hips and once again hissed her name, "God, Ellie." He was so into the sensations of her small hand firmly wrapped around him and making a pumping motion that he was taken totally off guard when he felt her warm moist tongue circle his tip and quickly be replaced with her equally warm moist mouth.

"Ellie." He placed his hands along the sides of her head and gently tried to pull her back up to his face.

Once she'd made the decision to perform oral sex on Josh, Ellie ignored it when she felt him trying to stop her actions. The feel, taste, and scent of him served as the best aphrodisiac she could ever think of. A part of her couldn't believe she was actually doing what she was doing, but another part never wanted it to end. In all the times she'd imagined sex with Josh she never believed it would ever come true.

She slowed her hand until it was now only holding onto the base of his member. Now her mouth was doing all the pumping, every once in a while she'd roll her tongue around him. He seemed to enjoy that as he gave a small pant each time she did it.

"Ellie, stop." She heard him plead but ignored him.

"Ellie, you…need…to…stop. I can't…" he panted, "We can't…" again he couldn't finish his thoughts. Which only served to encourage her, making her pump her mouth along his penis in a quicker motion sucking now on the up motion.

"Ellie, stop, this is wrong." Those words stung, but she ignored them. It may be wrong but she wanted to at least finish this. Suddenly, Josh's hands pressed tighter against the sides of her head, his hips lunged up to meet her mouth, and he cried out an inaudible roar as he hit his release, his body convulsing.

She winced at the first taste of his seed but quickly recovered and did something she'd never ever done before, swallowed. As Josh's body began to relax and his breathing was returning to normal, Ellie lifted herself off the floor between Josh's legs where she'd positioned herself at some point during her actions. She quickly ran for the door, grabbed her purse and exited the room.

Josh was slowly regaining his faculties when he heard the unmistakable sound of his apartment door being closed. His head popped up and as he feared, he found himself alone in the room. What the hell had just happened? He sat up, pulled himself onto his feet and walked to his door while doing his jeans back up. He opened the door looking up and down the corridor. Neither, Ellie, or her secret service agent, was anywhere to be found. Needless to say he was extremely confused. Why did she leave? Boy, what the hell was he supposed to do now? He closed the door and walked back into his apartment. He picked up the phone and called the direct line to Sam's office.

"Sam Seaborn."

"Sam, its Josh."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I don't know. You almost finished there?"

"For tonight. Why?"

"Can you swing by my place on the way home?"

"Sure. You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Kay, see you in about half an hour."

WW

Ellie ran down the corridor of Josh's apartment complex with tears streaming down her face. She reached the car that had been called to her location by the secret service when she'd first entered Josh's home. As usual she was thankful for the agents efficiency. When she was alone in the car with Don Markel, he turned to her and asked, "Ellie, are you okay?" concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Anything happen back there that I should know about?"

"No." The thought of her detail knowing what she had just done horrified her. Josh had asked her to stop, told her it was wrong, but she'd continued anyway. She knew she'd never be able to face him again as long as she lived. What was wrong with her? She wasn't the type of girl to do things like that. The man had actually asked her to stop; he hadn't wanted her doing such a thing. Any counselor would tell her that she'd just exhibited a major self-esteem issue, or rather a lack of self-esteem.

When they arrived at the White House she quickly walked into the residence and up to the bedrooms. She stopped outside Zoey's door and knocked. She was both relieved and nervous when she heard her sister call her into the room.

"Hey." Zoey said looking up from where she had propped herself up against her headboard reading a book.

"Hi." Ellie sat on the end of the queen-size bed.

"You okay?" Zoey asked sensing her sister's mood.

"I don't know."

"What's wrong. Didn't you and Josh have a good time?"

Ellie stayed silent a long time trying to figure out what to tell her sister. "Zoey, I did something really stupid tonight."

"What?" Zoey asked worried.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Sure."

"I mean anyone, not even Charlie."

"Yeah. What's wrong? Have you been crying?"

"Zoey, oh my god, I can't believe this."

"Ellie, you're scaring me. What is it?"

"I…" Ellie looked down at her hands which she was rubbing nervously together. "I… Zoey I just…"

Zoey sat completely still. Fear was racing through her. Ellie was the most reasonable and responsible of them all. What could possible have her so shaken up? "You just what?"

While still looking down at her hands Ellie answered, "I just gave Josh a blow job."

"What?" shock took over Zoey immediately, "Ellie, you…you're kidding me, right?"

"No. God, Zoey, I wish I was."

"How…" Zoey couldn't even finish her words. She sat starring at her sister. Finally she asked, "Why are you telling me this? I mean, that's kinda personal and… Ellie, did anything else happen? Did he force you to? I mean…should we call mom, or… I'm confused." She finally gave up.

"I don't know how it happened. I mean, we were necking and it felt so good, it felt right, he seemed to be into it and you know, I did what seemed like should come next and you know, was giving him a hand job and then I got carried away. The next thing I knew he was telling me to stop and I couldn't."

"Ellie, oh my god, I don't believe this. Why wouldn't you stop? Why was he asking you to?"

"I don't know. He said it was wrong. I wanted to stop then, I mean, I wanted to cry too, but I didn't do either. I just decided at that point that if this was my one and only chance with him, I may was well give him something to remember. How crazy is that?"

"Wow. So what happened then? I mean, wasn't it awkward afterwards?"

"I left."

"You left?"

"Yes. While he was you know, still half sedated for lack of a better word."

"You left without anything else. Not even a goodbye?"

"No."

"Wow."

WW

"What's up?" Sam asked as he entered Josh's apartment.

Josh handed him a beer and sat down on his couch. He was still in shock. What had happened earlier was more confusing the more he thought about it, "Sam what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room."

"Sure. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Confused but fine. What would you say if I told you I just received a mind numbing blow job and the woman who performed it immediately left after it was over?"

"I'd say wake up, your dream is over." The speechwriter chuckled at his best friend.

"Sam."

"Okay, how about, how much did it cost?"

"Sam!"

"You're serious?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, I'd say what did you do to offend her? Did you call out someone else's name, call her a nasty name? What did you do?"

"Nothing, I didn't do anything. I may have told her to stop."

"Why?" Sam's eyebrows furrowed.

"That's complicated."

"How? What's so complicated about a blowjob? Unless you forced her to, you didn't do that, did you?"

"No!"

"Did you, you know, this is weird…did you make her take you deeper than she was prepared to?"

"No!"

"Then I don't get it?" Sam shook his head.

"Me either. I'm confused."

"Me, too. Why did you tell her to stop?" Sam had the feeling those words were where the problem lie.

Josh stared at his friend for a minute. "Let's just say CJ would say I should have called her and not you. It was wrong."

"Oh my god, Josh, you didn't…not Laurie."

"NO!"

"Someone in Laurie's former profession? Again that confuses me, did you not know she was a…"

"Sam, she wasn't a call girl. It was…" he paused for a moment. "It was Ellie."

Sam didn't react for a moment, trying to figure out who Ellie was, then it dawned on him, "Oh my…wow…how…Ellie Bartlet?"

"Yes."

"Ellie Bartlet."

"Yes."

"She just gave you a…holy…and then she just left."

"Yes." Josh shook his head.

"Okay, wait a minute, you said you told her to stop. Did you also tell her it was wrong?"

"Yes, jeez Sam, she's the president's daughter. And it's not like I'm dating her or anything."

"Well then, that's it." Sam shrugged at Josh like he was supposed to understand.

"What's it?"

"She probably thought you were talking to her as Josh and you were probably talking to her as you know, Leo's deputy, right?"

"Of course. Wouldn't you do the same thing?"

"Absolutely. Wow, I can't believe Ellie Bartlet just…" Sam let the sentence drop.

"What do I do now?"

"You have to talk to her. Let her know you were trying to be responsible as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff."

"Right. I'll talk to her." Josh thought. He'd already decided to talk to her but for other reasons. But what Sam was saying made sense as well.

WW

The following afternoon Zoey was sitting in the living room when her cell phone rang, "Hello." She answered it on the first ring.

"Hi, Zoey, its Josh."

"Oh, hi." She answered pensively. It felt awkward she decided, knowing what had taken place the evening before.

"Listen, Zoey. I need to talk to Ellie, is she around?"

"Um…she left."

"Where'd she go? Will she be back soon?"

"No, she went back to Baltimore."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"Kay, bye, Josh."

"Bye. Hey, Zoey." Josh called before she hung up.

"Yeah?"

"Did she seem okay to you?"

Zoey sat silently for a bit, not really knowing how to answer that question. Ellie had been much quieter than normal at breakfast that morning and their father had badgered her for a bit, until he realized Ellie wasn't going to tell him what was wrong.

Her silence told Josh all he needed to know. "Bye, Zoey."

WW

Ellie sat in her dorm room replaying the events of the last twenty-four hours. She still couldn't believe what she'd done in Josh's apartment the night before. She wasn't the type of woman to go around performing oral sex on all the guys she dated. As a matter of fact there were less than a handful of guys who walked the earth who could honestly claim to have been on the receiving end of such an act from her.

She knew she'd looked like crap at breakfast that morning, she hadn't slept an ounce during the night. As a matter of fact, she spent some of the evening crying. She'd really messed this up. She'd been half in love with Josh Lyman since the moment she'd first laid eyes on him. It had been an immediate chemical reaction she was sure of it. Whenever anyone asked her if she believed in love at first sight she told him or her yes she did. How could she not? She was positive what she felt for Josh was love.

She'd lain in bed throughout the night thinking about the first time that she'd seen him. Her father was still a Governor then and had been running for president. He'd invited his campaign staff to their Manchester home for the weekend to work out the finer details of his campaign travel and message. She, Zoey, and Liz had been in one of their bedrooms looking out the window as the cars had driven up. She remembered seeing Leo, a long time friend of the family, exit first. He was smiling and shook her father's hand. Toby and CJ had exited from the same car within minutes. Both looked around the grounds, Toby had no reaction, but CJ, she remembered smiled and made a comment to her father.

Moments later another car pulled up and Sam got out of the drivers side. Josh had exited the car at the same time. Her eyes had been drawn to him immediately. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a sweater, and she remembered dark sunglasses. He'd come up behind CJ and said something making her laugh. They'd all shook hands with her father and that's when her mother arrived from the barn. They were all introduced to her and then they'd all walked out of sight and soon she heard the front door open and the soft murmur of voices.

She'd wanted to run downstairs so her father could introduce her to the handsome man, but Liz had held her arm. "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs."

"No, let dad work for a bit. We'll get to meet them soon enough. I need to go see to the kids." Liz had explained as she'd left the room in search of her children.

"Why does dad need all those people?" Zoey asked Ellie.

"I don't know, but I'm sure all presidential candidates need a lot of people helping them. Man, that guy is cute."

"Yeah, he is. I wonder how old he is?" Zoey asked.

"God, it doesn't matter, he's hot!" Ellie squealed.

"Nice dark hair, lean body." Zoey mumbled.

"Who you talking about?"

"The cute guy."

"Which guy?"

"I don't know, the one driving the second car."

"Are you serious? That's not the cute one, I'm talking about the other one."

"Which one?" Liz had asked when she'd returned to the room a child holding each hand.

"I don't know. The one wearing sunglasses." Ellie explained.

"Ellie, the man is far too old for you. Whatever you do this weekend, don't embarrass dad with this crush." She warned as she once again left the room to find her husband.

Ellie was brought out of her daydream when she heard a soft knocking at her door. She opened it expecting a friend or her secret service agent to be standing there. But it wasn't either and she froze. "Josh." She whispered.

"Hi," he answered softly; "can I come in?"

"Yeah. Sure." Ellie backed up a bit, giving Josh access to her room. When he stepped in she saw her agent across the hall looking at her. She gave him a smile, letting him know all was all right and closed the door.

She turned to face Josh; he wasn't looking at her but taking in her door room instead. She was thankful for what was going to be a small reprieve she was sure. The last thing she wanted to do right now was face Josh Lyman, not to mention talk to him. What was there to say?

He finally turned to her and she could feel her face burning slightly. "I called to talk to you earlier, Zoey told me you'd left."

"Yeah. I have some studying to do, it's easier to do here." She lied.

"Ellie, we should talk."

"Josh, I'd rather not. What's done is done, we can't change it."

"Ellie…"

"Josh."

Josh closed his eyes and sat down on the edge of her single bed. "Listen, what happened last night…"

"Josh, I'd really rather not talk about it." She pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but it can't be ignored. First of all, it was risky and I hate to use this word, but stupid."

Tears sprang to her eyes. Why was he insisting on embarrassing her further than she already was? Wasn't it bad enough he didn't want her, now he was calling her stupid? God this was awful, after all, what was she expecting him to say, thanks? Ask her for another one? What was she expecting?

"Ellie, why did you leave?" he asked, deciding to come around to what he wanted to say from another angle. He could see the tears in her eyes and knew she could be close to asking her secret service agent to ask him to leave. He'd have no choice but to abide by her wishes then.

"Josh…it was awkward. I didn't really know what to do so fleeing seemed to be the right decision."

"It wasn't. We should have been having this talk then instead of now."

"I'd rather not have it at all."

"That's too bad, it needs to be said. First I'd like to back up and apologize."

"For what?"

"For placing us in that position to begin with. I shouldn't have taken you back to my place. I think it may have placed certain expectations on you that weren't fair. I honestly wasn't expecting anything to happen, Ellie. I…I thought we could get to know one another a little better, become friends."

Ellie felt her heart ripping in two. The last thing she'd ever wanted from Josh was to become friends. Lovers yes, and if that course of action allowed them to become friends as well, then fine. Of course the older she became the more she realized how ridiculous that idea was. Being friends first was probably a better way to go when it came to relationships.

"Ellie, there had to be a reason you took off. Did I do something?" he asked.

"No…yes…Josh."

"Ellie, listen to me. We need to resolve this. I can't have this hanging over my head for the next two years. What did I do? I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, at least not the way you're thinking."

"Then how?" Josh felt a pang run through him. The thought of hurting her scared him to death, not to mention made him feel like a heel. So Sam must have been right he thought.

"I…Josh…this is embarrassing."

"Don't be. I'm the one who's embarrassed. I feel like an ass."

"Don't, Josh. None of this is your fault. It's just…I've…I've been attracted to you since the first day I saw you..." Ellie chose not to continue.

"Really?" Josh uttered very softly after taking a long moment.

"Yes. You and the others came to our house in Manchester during the campaign and I became smitten."

"Oh…so last night…" Josh let his words fall. Ellie's admission had taken him by surprise. Sure, he thought the previous evening there had been something there, but he'd never felt it before then. To think she'd felt that way for years blew him away.

"Last night was incredible and heartbreaking all at the same time." She confessed.

"God, Ellie. I had no idea."

"I know. You've never really noticed me before."

Josh noticed the hurt saddened look come across her face. "That's not true. I've always noticed you. But back then, well, you were…I don't know, the Governor's daughter, and I was working on getting him elected. But that doesn't mean I didn't notice you, you're a pretty girl, who wouldn't notice you?"

"And now?" she asked.

"Now, you're beautiful and the President's daughter."

She shook her head and let out a huffing noise. "There it is. I can't win." She laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Josh, do you know how many guys have tried to get into my pants because I'm the president's daughter? Lots, that's how many. And now, here you sit, telling me you don't want me because I'm the president's daughter. I can't win."

Josh was taken aback by her words. She was probably right, there were probably lots of idiots out there wanting nothing more than to score with her for no other reason than bragging rights. Dating was hard enough without that hanging around ones neck.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sure that's tough. But Ellie, trust me when I say you're an attractive girl and last nights activities were genuine. Kissing you was natural and fun. I was looking forward to doing more of it, but well, things quickly got out of hand. I knew we had to stop but I didn't put forth a very strong effort. And further more, my wanting to put a stop to it wasn't because you're the president's daughter, but because you're my bosses daughter."

"There's a difference?" she asked.

"Yes, though at the moment I'm not sure what it is." He confessed. "But Ellie, lets move away from that for now. I have other concerns."

"Don't worry, I won't tell him."

"What?"

"I won't tell my father, Josh. Your job is safe."

"No, that's not what I wanted to talk about. It is interesting you used the word safe though, because that's exactly what's on my mind."

Ellie turned from him for a moment. Still not wanting to talk to him about the actual sexual act.

"Ellie, what you did was extremely risky. You don't really know me. I hate to sound like your father, or better yet, your mother, but for all you know I could be HIV-positive, or have Aids. We…you didn't take any precautions."

Josh saw her face grow even paler than its natural state and wished he could take back what he'd just said, but he couldn't, it was too important. "Don't worry, I'm neither." He wanted to ease any concerns he'd just brought up.

She turned and looked him straight in the eye for a long moment before speaking, "I guess that's good to know, but like you said, it's a little late. Josh, I'm so embarrassed. Please believe me when I say that's not something I go around doing." She closed her eyes.

"I trust you." He sat looking at her for a moment before asking, "Ellie, how did I hurt you?" his curiosity getting the better of him.

She sucked both her lips into her mouth and blew out some air; "It just kinda hurt to know you didn't want me to do what I was doing and wanted me to stop. I'm sorry I didn't by the way."

Josh sighed, "Okay, lets clarify some things here. I wasn't really rejecting you when I said that. God Ellie, what you did was incredible so don't be sorry for not listening to me. It wasn't that I didn't want it, its just I felt it inappropriate, and not just because you are who you are, and I am who I am, but because we weren't even on a date."

"You realize how confusing that sentence was, right? I mean, my father would rip that apart in a nano second." She chuckled.

"Boy it must have been difficult having regular conversations around your supper table." He smiled, liking the easy feeling that was starting to fill the room.

"Don't I know it." She smiled in kind.

"Ellie, last night was tough. I was attracted to you, but not only are you my bosses daughter, but you're a bit younger than I am. Trust me when I say last night I wrestled with myself trying to figure out what to do."

"You didn't?" She asked not believing him.

"Yeah, I did. When we were playing pool I wanted nothing more than to teach you pool technique properly, helping you hold your cue stick, helping you hit a ball, doing all that while sidling up behind you, my body pressed against yours, but like I said, I am who I am. I'm a rather high ranking White House official. What I do while I'm out in the public reflects on your father and his administration. The last thing I wanted was a reporter or anyone who recognized either one of us to snap our picture and have it end up on the front pages of the Washington Post and have to explain it to your father."

Ellie couldn't believe her ears, he was talking about their bodies being together, showing her to play pool the way guys always do in the movies, and it always looked so sexy and erotic in the movies. Did Josh really want that or was he just appeasing her? "You didn't."

"Yes, I did. Ellie think back to my apartment. When you first touched me, I was already aroused wasn't I?" His eyes seemed to burn into hers.

Ellie had to admit it was true, even before she began to caress him, he was erect. "Yes."

"I might be a guy, but I'm not desperate, Ellie. It was you who was turning me on, not the act."

Tears sprung to her eyes. Was he really saying these things to her, looking at her like that? How could she possible believe him, she turned him on? How, when? She thought he'd barely paid attention to her whenever she was around.

Josh got up off the bed and walked over to where she stood against the wall. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her to him. "Ellie, don't cry. I'm starting to think my coming here didn't really resolve anything."

With her forehead resting against his chest, both her arms bent at the elbow and her hands resting beside her head on his chest she sniffed, "I'm sorry I guess I'm just kind of overwhelmed."

"What were you doing before I got here?" he asked.

"Studying."

"You hungry?"

"I think I am. What time is it?" she asked.

"Four-thirty." He placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face to look up at him. "Why don't we start over, you wanna go grab something to eat before I leave?"

"Sure."

WW

A few hours later Ellie was walking through her dorm room door once again, with Josh trailing behind her. They'd eaten at a campus pub and had lingered over a glass of wine before Josh mentioned having to get back to Washington.

She removed her coat and placed it on her bed, turning towards him. "Thanks for dinner. It was nice."

"You're welcome." He placed his hands into the pockets of his open coat and rocked back on his heels.

"You wanna stick around for a while?" she asked.

"Yes, but I should get going. I'm doing Face The Nation tomorrow."

"Kay." She continued to look at him and was a bit surprised when he stepped towards her and not towards the door.

"Can we see each other again?" he asked reaching her.

"Yeah." She barely managed to say.

"How's next Saturday?" He slipped his hands out of his pockets and around her waist, pulling her into him.

"Great." Before she could even register what was going on his lips were touching hers. She reached up and placed her hands on his chest. She moaned when Josh deepened the kiss and pressed his lower region closer to her.

She wanted to do a celebratory dance when she felt his bulge against her stomach. She hadn't been imagining things the night before when she'd found him turned on with very little effort. Perhaps he'd been telling her the truth in regards to her ability to turn him on. The feel of his hardened length pressed against her was doing wild things to her own lower region, as she could feel the heat and moisture pooling in her panties.

When she pressed her tongue against his warm moist lips she was rewarded with not only entrance, but Josh also let out a very sexy groan before their tongues began a tangled dance. Goosebumps quickly raised beneath her clothing when she felt one of Josh's hands travel from her lower back up along her carriage to finally rest on her neck just underneath her jaw. Involuntarily she pressed herself closer against him.

"Ellie." He murmured.

"Hmm." She replied.

Resting his forehead against hers and looking down into her eyes he continued, "You feel so good."

The only response she gave him was to lift herself up onto her tippy toes in order to kiss him once again. He responded in kind and soon she felt his hand cradling her left breast. This time she deepened the kiss, which seemed to spur Josh into running his thumb across her nipple bringing it to attention.

She responded with a moaned, "Josh."

"Ellie, we really should stop."

"That seems to be a favorite word of yours." She smiled meekly as she lowered herself onto flat feet and placed her forehead against his chest.

"Not because I want to, but I really need to get back to Washington. I have some studying of my own to do before the show tomorrow." He explained while still holding on to her.

"Right."

"Saturday night." He said while placing a hand underneath her chin lifting her head to look up at him.

"Yes." She smiled.

At this point he released her and asked, "Do you have a pen and paper."

"Sure." She said while moving over to her desk and finding a piece of paper and taking a pen out of a holder. "Here."

He walked over to the desk and quickly scribbled something down. He gave her the sheet of paper. "My home phone is the top number, but you're more likely to reach me if you call the bottom number, my cell. In case you need to cancel for any reason."

"Kay."

"You have any idea what you'd like to do?"

"Do?" she asked.

"On our date."

"Oh, not really. Maybe we could see a movie or something." She suggested.

"Okay, as long as you're not anything like your father."

"Pardon?"

"He always talks all the way through a movie." Josh smiled.

Ellie laughed, "No, I like to follow the plot."

"Great."

"Saturday, six o'clock okay, or would you rather have dinner before the movie?"

"No, after is good."

"Kay. See you next week then."

"Yeah." Ellie thought it bizarre how awkward she was starting to feel talking about going on a date with Josh. Perhaps it was just this prolonged goodbye; they never seemed to be very easy. Just as she had finished her thought Josh leaned in once again and gave her a quick peck before walking to her door and out of the room, closing the door behind him.

WW

For Ellie, the week seemed to drag on and on, as she had numerous tests to study for, a couple of papers to work on, and a lab experiment to work on. She wished every day could have been like Sunday though. She'd woken up at eight o'clock and had taken a quick shower before heading to the dorm dinning room for breakfast. There she met up with a couple of her friends, Sheila and Rob. When the trio finished eating, they ended up in the common room, Rob sitting in a wingback chair with the TV remote, flipping through the channels for something to watch, while Sheila and Ellie sat on the sofa applying nail polish to their fingernails. As she was waving her fingers in front of her face and blowing on them, Ellie asked Rob to go back to the previous channel, as she could have sworn she'd heard Josh's voice. Sure enough, when Rob flipped back to CBS Josh was admonishing his friend, Matt Skinner, a Republican on his views regarding abortion.

"Since when are you interested in Face the Nation?" Rob asked as he turned to face his friends.

"I'm not." Ellie replied, taking her eyes off the screen briefly to look at her friend before turning her attention once again to the twenty-seven- inch screen in front of her.

"So why are we watching it then? Is your dad going to be on it?" Sheila asked.

"No, that's his Deputy Chief of Staff." Ellie answered.

"Isn't he the one that was shot?" Rob asked, although no one really knew why, as most of the nation over the age of twelve could probably identify Josh as the critical victim at Rosslyn. For close to a week his face had been splashed all over the news.

"Yeah." Ellie replied, "I'm just curious to see what's going on these days." She explained knowing she wasn't really telling her friends the truth. She was more interested in just watching and hearing Josh, even if he sounded a bit hostile at the moment.

After a few moments Sheila and Rob lost interest in the debate style show and started chattering amongst themselves, Ellie on the other hand pulled her feet up onto the couch and pulled her knees towards her chest allowing her to hug them close to her body.

"Ellie?" she felt Sheila nudge her.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Of course, why?"

"You were off in your own world I think. Even when you groaned and I asked if you were okay, you didn't answer me."

"Oh sorry, I guess I was just daydreaming." She smiled coyly. There was no way she was about to tell her friends that she'd been having a flashback to Friday night when she'd been on her knees performing oral sex on her father's Deputy Chief of Staff.

"You sure you're okay? You're blushing?" Rob asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

WW

Opposite to Ellie, the week seemed to fly by for Josh. His week was full of meetings, both on the hill and in his office, but mostly in the Roosevelt room, either in conjunction with Toby or Sam or by himself. He had a couple of private meetings with Leo regarding on going negotiations he was overseeing between labor unions and other government offices.

On Friday morning he woke and went for a quick jog before readying himself for work. He was hoping the jog would help clear his mind for his private meeting with President Bartlet scheduled after the senior staff meeting that morning. Though he had no real desire for the meeting, it was one he knew he had to have, he respected his Commander in Chief far too much for the president to find out about his date with Ellie through a third party.

He'd checked with both Charlie and Mrs. Landingham earlier in the week to see when the President had a few minutes available. Both had come up with a bit of time just after today's senior staff and before his meeting with Nancy McNally, Admiral Wallace, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Leo McGarry.

"Okay, that's it." Bartlet announced dismissing his staff.

"Thank-you, Mr. President." Toby, CJ, Leo, and Josh all replied in various forms. Within seconds Josh found himself alone in the Oval office with his boss.

"So, Josh, what's on your mind? Is Stackhouse still rumbling?" Jed asked assuming Josh's request for some time alone was due to work related issues.

"Yes, sir, but that's not what I'd like to talk about."

"Oh? Have a seat, Josh."

"Thank-you, sir, but I'd prefer to stand."

"Okay, mind if I sit?" the President asked while taking a seat in one of the wingback chairs beside the sofas.

"No, please do."

Jed looked up at Leo's deputy wondering what could be bothering the younger man. Josh Lyman was not one to bring his personal life into the Oval office unless of course he was trying to veto the hiring of an ex-girlfriend.

"What can I do for you, Josh?"

"Hmm, Mr. President, you know how much I respect you, both as a politician and a man."

"I think so, though it's still nice to here." Jed forced a smile. He somehow knew the conversation he was about to have was going to be difficult, his immediate thoughts were Josh was about to hand in his resignation. Though he should be handing it to Leo and not himself, unless Josh had already tried to give it to Leo and the older man had refused it. But, the next words out of Josh's mouth were the farthest thing from a resignation the President could imagine.

"Anyway, I'd like to talk to you about your daughter."

"Zoey! What's she done now?" Jed rolled his eyes.

"Nothing. I meant Ellie, sir."

"Oh for God sake! What now, should I have Charlie call her home again? What's gotten into her?"

"No, no, sir, she hasn't done anything." Josh shoved his hands into his pants pockets, just as a memory of Ellie Bartlet giving him head flashed through his mind. He quickly reigned in those thoughts as he stood in front of the woman's father.

"I have to say, Josh, you're confusing me."

"I'm sorry, sir. What I'd like to talk to you about is the possibility of your daughter and I dating." Josh replied, then held his breath, not knowing what to expect.

Jed sat completely still looking up at Josh. That was quite possibly the last thing in the world he'd expected the younger man to say. The two men remained quiet for some time before the President finally spoke. "Well, Josh, does my daughter know about this?"

Josh couldn't help the small smile that spread across his lips, "Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, we already have a date planned for tomorrow night."

"So speaking to me is just a formality then."

Josh remained silent. He honestly didn't want to think about the possibility of the President of the United States ordering him to stay away from his daughter, what would he do then? Finally he replied, "I guess from where you sit it looks that way, but, sir if you don't want me to…"

Jed cut the younger man off, "Oh, now Josh, don't play me for a fool. If you and Eleanor already have plans and I forbid you as my Deputy Chief of Staff, from dating my daughter, my much younger daughter," Jed emphasized as his eyes boar into Josh, making the younger man squirm a bit. "If I were to forbid it, you and I both know I'd be in the proverbial dog house for a very long time. Do you think I'm crazy, Josh?"

"No, sir."

"Of course you don't. Boy, my middle daughter sure has become adept at playing me, hasn't she? First her Surgeon General comment and now this."

"Sir."

"Yes." Bartlet rose his eyebrows as he waited.

"This isn't Ellie's doing really. She and I tagged along with Charlie and Zoey last week and had a nice time. We've decided, mutually, to spend some time together."

Jed sat contemplating what Josh had just said, the younger man, he concluded was an even better negotiator than he'd previously believed. Josh was a very smart man, Jed didn't for one minute believe that Josh bringing up Charlie and Zoey was innocent. Oh no, Josh was reminding him that another of his employees was dating one of his daughters. "And you feel the need to tell me because?"

"Because you're my boss, and her father."

"Okay, I can appreciate that." Jed began to say as a knock sounded on the door leading toward the outer offices before Charlie poked his head in. "Nancy McNally's here, sir."

"Thank-you, Charlie. Give me a few more minutes."

"Yes, sir."

The President stood and walked around his desk to stand behind it, two can play this game, he thought to himself, wanting to remind Josh where they were and who exactly he was, "Josh, if my daughter would like to date you, I'm not about to intervene."

"Thank-you, sir."

"But so help me, Josh…" Jed stopped in mid-sentence and starred his deputy down for a second or two, "Just remember who you'll have to deal with if you screw this up."

"Yes, sir." Josh managed.

"Mrs. Bartlet's a mother bear when it comes to our daughters." Jed smiled.

"Yes, sir."

"Now get out."

"Thank-you, sir."

WW

Following the meeting with Nancy and Fitz, Leo stayed behind to chat with his friend, "Mr. President, is there something bothering you?"

"That obvious?" Jed asked.

"Only to those who've known you for over thirty years." The Chief of Staff replied.

"Tell me, Leo, is there some Senator out there who's celebrating his seventieth, possibly his eightieth birthday?"

Leo starred at the President for a minute before replying, "What has Sam done now? Want me to talk to him?"

"Sam! No, Sam hadn't done a thing. It's Josh."

"Oh boy, do you want me to take care of something?" Leo sighed, he loved Josh like a son, but couldn't help but admit to himself that the man just seemed to find trouble.

"No there's nothing you can do. It's personal." Jed brought his left foot up resting it on his right knee. A posture Leo knew meant his friend was getting comfortable. Not really knowing how to respond, Leo just continued to sit silently, opposite his friend in the twin wingback.

It didn't take long before Jed continued, "He's taking Ellie on a date tomorrow."

"Josh?"

"Yeah."

"And Ellie?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I didn't see that one coming, I take it you didn't either?"

"Nope." Jed responded.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

The room remained silent for a few moments before a crooked smile broke out on Leo's face, followed by a chuckle.

"Oh no you don't!" The President commanded.

"Don't what?" Leo asked between chuckles.

"Don't you dare enjoy this."

"I seem to recall, Mr. President, a certain individual gleaming much enjoyment out of my uneasiness when one Sam Seaborn wanted to date my daughter."

"Yeah, well that was funny." Jed defended.

"And this isn't?"

"No, now get out of my office." Jed ordered.

"Yes, Mr. President." Leo continued to laugh while getting to his feet. When he reached the private entrance to his office he turned to his friend and in all seriousness added, "Despite his short comings, Mr. President, Josh is a good kid. Ellie could do a lot worse."

Jed looked to his friend replying, "Yeah, yeah, I know. It could be Sam." He smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**WW**

The following day, Ellie arrived at the White House residence just in time to join her parents to a bowl of clam chowder for lunch.

"What brings you home this weekend?" Abby asked.

"Can't I just come home?" Ellie asked.

"Of course you can, but you haven't been home for three weekends in a row since you left home for college."

Before Ellie could respond to her mother, Jed piped up, "Eleanor has a date tonight." The young woman shot her father a look of disbelief, first because he even knew this information, and second, that he'd announced it. "Right?" Jed questioned.

"Yes."

"That's wonderful. Is it with someone you've been seeing regularly?" Abby asked.

"No."

"Oh, I take it he lives here in Washington."

"Yes."

"Terrific, I hope this means we'll be seeing more of you?"

"Maybe," Ellie answered before taking a bite out of a dinner roll.

"Jed?" The first lady turned to her husband.

"Yes?"

"How did you know about this?"

Ellie looked to her father who looked first to her, then to his wife, and back to his daughter, who he continued to make eye contact with when he announced, "Her suitor came to see me yesterday."

"He did?" Both Ellie and the first lady questioned together.

"He did." Jed confirmed, still looking at his middle daughter.

"How in the world did this young man get an appointment with you?"

"He has connections." Jed looked at his wife.

"The son of a Congressman, or Senator, perhaps?" Abby questioned. Ellie could hear the hope in her mother's words. Somehow she thought her mother would know better than to pair her with such an individual.

"It's Josh Lyman, mother." Ellie blurted out. The last thing in the world she wanted was to sit and listen to her parent's playful banter in regards to her dating life.

"Josh!" Abby smirked disbelieving the words spoken by her daughter, who shook her head slightly in the affirmative. "Oh, well, isn't this a…surprise!" she smiled at Ellie. Turning to Jed she asked, "And he came to see you?"

"Yes, pre-emptive strike I'm sure. The last thing he wants is for me to find this out through the newspaper."

"You don't think it couldn't have just been respect?" Abby asked.

"Sure, but he knew what he was doing."

"Do you guys have to speak about him like he's part of some agenda, or worse, like I'm not even in the room?"

"Oh, we're sorry, Ellie. It's just surprising is all."

"Why, because you think someone like Josh wouldn't be interested in me?"

Jed and Abby exchanged a look, realizing their mistake. "Of course not! Any man would be lucky to date you."

Ellie rolled her eyes at her mother's words, knowing full well that that was the obligatory answer for all parents to such a question.

**WW**

Hours later, not really knowing how, or more importantly, where the evening was going to end, Ellie packed an overnight bag, but left it in her bedroom. Knowing Josh was a bit nervous or uneasy with the idea of picking her up at the White House residence, she'd offered to meet him at the Georgetown Theater, but he insisted on picking her up at her parents home. She was pleased when both her parents remained scarce upon his arrival. Lord only knew what would have transpired had her father decided to make his presence known, then again, maybe he'd made his feelings quite clear the previous day in his office she thought to herself.

She was beaten to the door by George, one of the resident butlers, but only by a second. When the graying man opened the door, Ellie caught her breath. She always believed Josh to be devilishly handsome, but in her opinion he looked even more so tonight. Gone was his normal attire of expensive suits, a tie, and loafers, replaced with a pair of beige cotton twill pants, a pair of running shoes, and a brown leather jacket. Poking out from underneath that was a green woolen sweater. His hair was neat, unlike when he was working, as it always seemed a bit unkempt, as though he were continuously running his hands through it. He looked fresh with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

"Thank you, George." Ellie murmured dismissing the older man when he gestured for Josh to enter.

"Ma'am." George answered and discreetly removed himself from the entry.

"Hi." Josh smiled.

Ellie thought her heart stopped for a beat or two before replying in a soft voice, "Hi."

"You ready to go?" Josh looked around.

"Yeah, let me get my coat." She reached into the closet beside the doorway and retrieved the wool garment.

Josh stepped forward and helped her into it. She grabbed her purse from the antique table and quickly left, not wanting the good fortune of her father's absence to end.

**WW**

A few hours later the couple was lingering over a glass of wine each and some idle chitchat. Josh couldn't remember the last time he'd actually been able to relax during an evening out. Halfway through the meal he'd discovered why, Eleanor Bartlet hadn't asked him a single question related to his work, the President, the White House, or the shooting at Rosslyn, as most of his dates usually did. Instead, she'd asked him such things as where he'd grown up, how long he'd known Leo McGarry, had he and Mallory McGarry been friends growing up? She'd blushed slightly when he reminded her that Mallory was quite a few years younger than he was.

Though they had chosen a night of casual dress instead of elegance, Josh found the lighting in the family oriented restaurant cast a soft enough glow about Ellie's face and found her beautiful. While it was true he'd never really thought of any of the president's three daughters in anyway other than platonically, he'd always found Ellie the most attractive of the three. She had classic features, her eyes, when you could see them were a beautiful deep brown to match her long brown hair, her complexion blemish free and translucent. Her cheekbones were well defined, her nose slender, and her lips, well until now he would have just told anyone they were well proportioned on her face, but now, they looked soft and very kissable.

While shorter in stature than both of her sisters and to his growing delight more curvaceous. Josh hadn't realized how much shorter Ellie was than Zoey until he'd helped Ellie into her coat earlier that evening. Zoey must be a good four or five inches taller then Ellie he thought to himself, and if that was the case, then Liz would be even taller. Seeing how the youngest Bartlet child was about five feet nine, Josh would put Ellie at about five feet two or three, at least eight or so inches shorter than he was.

While they'd been eating, he couldn't help but occasionally watch her mouth, the same mouth that had been wrapped around him a week earlier. Disbelief still invaded his thoughts and he found it strangely odd that they were officially only on their first date and yet he'd already been brought to an orgasm by the woman seated across from him. He had to reign in his thoughts a few times during the meal, as memories of that evening and what her tongue and lips had felt like, had left him with a slight bulge in his pants.

He really didn't know where or how the evening was going to end, he was leaving that up to her, but just in case they ended up at his place, he'd taken some time earlier in the day to prepare. If things did progress to his bedroom as he hoped they would, he wanted the evening to be special for her.

Their waiter approached asking if they'd like anything else? Josh waited for Ellie's response first. He wasn't above another glass of wine if she wanted one, but she shook her head and replied with a no thank you and a smile. The waiter turned to Josh.

"Just the check, please." He informed the young man, who discreetly scurried away.

"You sure you don't want dessert?" Josh turned his attention to her.

"No, I'm stuffed, my chicken was wonderful."

"Kay." The waiter returned at that moment and placed a small tray on the table in front of Josh. It held a couple of hard mint candies and a bill. Josh reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out his wallet. He placed a credit card on the try, before asking Ellie if she would like a candy. She shook her had no.

When the check had been taken care of, Josh once again helped Ellie into her coat and noticed once more her small stature deciding she took after her father, as the President was rather short in stature for a man.

The couple soon found themselves walking threw the gates leading to the White House. Not having made any formal plans for the evening, Josh had driven to the White House to pick Ellie up, but they had decided it was a nice evening and had walked to the theater and then on to the restaurant. So Josh now needed to retrieve his vehicle from his employee parking spot after walking Ellie back up to the residence. When they ascended the grand staircase leading to the personal residence of the first family, Ellie stopped at the door and turned to face him.

"Thank you for dinner and the movie, I had a nice time."

Josh noticed right away the shyness in both her voice and her facial expressions, finding it a refreshing change from his normal power dating dates. "Your welcome, we'll have to do it again soon."

"I'd like that." Again, a small flush of color rose to her cheeks and again, he thought of the blow job he'd received from her and couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation. She was being shy and coy and yet, she'd already been in a compromising position with him.

He held back a groan but closed the space between them. Wrapping his arms around her small waist and he lowered his lips to hers. A small moan escaped from her. It spurred him on to deepen the kiss and he felt Ellie's arms wrap around him.

He broke free and his lips traveled along her jaw line and down her neck. He felt Ellie shiver and she moaned his name. Once again he reached her lips and Elllie pronounced, "I don't want the night to end."

Josh stopped his ministrations, placed both of his hands on either side of her face saying, "It doesn't have to." Planting another kiss on her lips.

**WW**

Ellie hoped the simple act of brushing her teeth and removing what little makeup she wore would help calm her jittery nerves. She gave up hope however when her hand still shook as she removed the final traces of her foundation. Knowing that she wasn't about to let her nerves get the better of her she methodically removed her clothing, reached into the overnight bag she had slipped into the residence and retrieved before coming to Josh's apartment, and took out a small bottle of perfume giving herself a light spritz. She'd chosen her bottle of Tommy Girl because she felt of all her perfumes, it was the softest smelling on her, leaving a fresh clean fragrance on her body. She reached into her bag again and pulled out a red negligee made of satin.

She quickly slipped it on and took a look at herself in the mirror. The garment fell to mid thigh revealing much of her legs. She was sure however, that Josh wouldn't really notice so much, unless he proved to be a legman. The gown had thin spaghetti straps with the bodice forming into a vee, while not revealing anything other than the space between her breasts. She had put on the matching underwear earlier in the evening before their date, so now she was set to go. She inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it, hoping this action would help settle her rattled nerves. She still couldn't believe she was about to walk into Josh Lyman's bedroom dressed as she was. She reached for the doorknob, turned it, and pulled it open.

She immediately forgot her nerves upon re-entering the room. It was shimmering in the soft glow of candlelight. While she'd been readying herself, Josh had obviously been readying the room. Her eyes took it in, candles of all types, votives, pillars, and tealights, were every where. On his dresser, the windowsills, the night stands, and on an antique side table in the corner of the room. Her right hand automatically lifted to her neck as her breath caught. Out of the corner of her right eye she caught a movement and turned her head. Josh sat on a chair in the corner removing his socks and shoes, her sharp intake of breathe must have caught his attention as he sat motionless staring at her; a sock dangling from between his fingers. He let it fall to the floor, got to his feet and walked towards her when she spoke.

"Josh, it's beautiful." She looked around at the dozens of candles, noticing for the first time that there were also three or four vases of flowers placed strategically around the room. Just as she turned her back to him to look around again, she felt his arms come around her waist and she was pulled gently against his body.

"You're beautiful." He said while squeezing her slightly.

She lifted her arms, resting them on his, and leaned her head back against his chest. She felt as if she'd gone to heaven being in his arms, the aroma of the flowers sitting on his highboy drifting towards them. Josh was slowly spinning them around for her to take in the entire room. When he finally came to a stand still, she saw their reflection in a full-length wood framed antique floor model mirror standing beside his closet. She smiled shyly at his reflection and was rewarded when he returned the gesture in kind. He loomed over her and yet she felt they fit perfectly together.

"You were busy." She smiled again as she looked around the room.

"You, too."

Ellie looked at their reflection just in time to see Josh's eyes caressing her reflected form. Her body temperature immediately rose as she realized she stood in nothing but the bright red satin negligee. All the doubts she'd had about purchasing it and wearing it on their date vanished as she watched his eyes glaze over and become heavy lidded.

She tried to turn herself around in his arms so she could look into his face but Josh squeezed his arms tighter around her waist holding her in place. She looked into the mirror again hoping to show him her questioned response, but he'd already lowered his head and was placing soft kisses along her shoulder. She watched as he slowly made his way across to the nape of her neck to her ear. She closed her eyes at this point and tilted her head, giving him better access.

When he hit the spot just behind her left ear she heard herself moan softly. Her eyes flew open when she felt a twitch against her back. Given their height difference she knew the movement could only be one thing. He was growing hard or should she say harder, because it wasn't until that moment that she even realized she'd felt his stiffness all along but hadn't registered it.

She forced herself to keep her eyes open as he began to kiss his way back down to her shoulder, stopping when he reached the chemise's spaghetti strap and took it between his teeth, pulling it to the side and allowing it to fall halfway down her arm. The action exposed her left breast but only briefly before she felt and saw Josh's left hand cupping it.

Her eyes instantly closed and her head rolled back and to the side. She felt Josh's lips descending once again on her throat just as he squeezed her breast in his hand.

"Hmm, Josh…" she practically panted. Her nipple puckered and she ached for him to pleasure it.

"Ellie, you're so beautiful." He once again whispered to her as he took her waiting orb between his thumb and forefinger.

"OH, Josh!" She didn't seem to be in control of herself. She could feel her lower region heating up, despite feeling moisture beginning to pool there. She began to squirm and would have been embarrassed except for the fact that rational thought seemed to be beyond her at the moment.

Josh was kissing and nipping at her throat as he masterfully began tweaking, pulling, rolling, and generally pleasuring her exposed nipple. She continued to moan and repeat his name occasionally.

She could feel the beginning of an orgasm start to build within her and wanted to beg him for release and yet didn't want him to stop either. She had wanted this for far too long to rush it. Truthfully, she'd never really expected to ever experience this moment, so that savoring it seemed appropriate.

The arm still wrapped around her waist moved and she suddenly felt Josh's hand caressing her. First it swept across her waist and then began feel its way up her carriage. It too, seemed to tease her, just as his left hand continued its assault on her breast, altering between playing with her nub and caressing her entire breast. His right hand finally cupped her right breast and began to imitate its mate on her twin orb, through the satin material. The sensations coursing through her body were like nothing she'd ever experienced before. Boy, she really hadn't been made love to before she briefly thought to herself, as nothing, not even a full-blown orgasm had made her feel like this before.

Josh's right hand left her breast and ever so slowly began to graze its way down her frame. Over her rib cage, across her waist, down her stomach, and down the top of her right leg where he stopped on her thigh. He squeezed and caressed her there for a while before his hand began to travel up again, this time underneath her negligee.

She heard herself moan and felt Josh's lips stop their assault on her neck. His hand stopped and his palm splayed flat against her belly. Again, she moaned, this time from the anticipation, knowing where his hands final destination would be. The moan must have worked because the hand didn't rest for long. It sneaked its way downward to the elastic waist of her panties where his fingers pushed inside. It seemed to take forever before she felt his finger tips against her feminine curls but they pushed on through and she nearly came undone when his index finger slide downward and over her already swollen clit.

Her body involuntarily jerked at the too short a sensation it caused. Then his palm rested on her nub as his fingers found her wet womanhood, she would have blushed, but as his fingers found her opening, Josh moaned her name. He obviously liked what he found waiting for him.

Ellie forced her eyes open so she could witness the display in the mirror in front of her. God, what she saw was downright erotic. She'd never been in a position to watch herself and a lover in the midst of a sexual act; she found it extremely arousing. Her body was splayed against Josh's and he was playing her body like a musical instrument. She'd never be able to attend an orchestral concert ever again without thinking of this moment. Their stance reminded her of a harp and its player. Josh's fingers were plucking, strumming, and sliding along her, and although she wasn't producing beautiful music, she was definitely emitting pleasurable sounds.

She continued to stare in the mirror as Josh's fingers managed to spread her feminine folds and plunge into her. She gasped and found herself pressing her body against his fingers and moaned loudly. Her body temperature continued to rise and her bare toes actually curled into the carpet beneath them. Her right hand, which had been dangling at her side came up to her throat and began to rug against her collarbone. She heard Josh groan and realized her eyes were once again closed.

Just as she opened them, hoping to see the look on Josh's face, the building pleasure coursing through her body exploded. Her entire body shook and convulsed, she felt as though she was on fire, a burning sensation began at her curled toes and swept quickly up her legs, through her core, up to her breasts and didn't stop until it hit the top of her head. Her lips tingled, as did her breasts, one of which Josh continued to manipulate. As she slowly returned to earth, she wondered how she had managed to remain on her feet? Her eyes opened but weren't focused on anything, couldn't focus on anything. Slowly coherent thought returned, and she felt Josh's arms wrapped tightly around her waist again and he was nuzzling her throat and ear. That's when she realized it was Josh who must have kept her on her feet, it had to have been, because even now her legs felt as if she were standing on wet noodles.

"Welcome back." He said before capturing her earlobe between his teeth. A shiver ran through her so he asked, "you cold?"

"Not really." She didn't recognize her own voice; it sounded very breathy and hoarse.

"Even so, we should still get into bed."

Loving the sound of that, she smiled, "Hmm, sounds cozy and warm." She spun around to face him. As she looked up at him, Josh ran his hand up her left arm catching the strap of her garment and dragging it up to sit back on her shoulder, resulting in her exposed breast once again being covered. Then he bent down and placed a kiss on her lips, they were warm and wet, and oh so wonderful. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get into bed with him with both of them naked and sweaty. She reached into his sweater only to find him wearing a tee shirt underneath it. She let out a frustrated groan, which brought a smile to his lips, breaking their contact with hers.

His smile only grew when she grabbed the shirt and pulled it out from within his pants, while Josh's hands ran up and down her arms in a gentle caress. Ellie smiled herself when her hands felt the hard flesh of Josh's abs. She could tell by touch alone that he was fit and couldn't wait to see evidence of the fact. She slid her hands up to his chest, bringing his shirt and sweater up as well, Josh took the hint and grabbed the punched up material and whipped it over his head and onto the floor. She felt his eyes on her as she soaked up the sight of his bare chest. The allure proved to be too much as her hands reached up and touched him.

A jolt of electricity cursed through her blood. Josh took over control at that moment as he lowered his mouth to hers and wrapped his arms lightly around her waist briefly before his hands were on her backside, lightly squeezing. Then she felt herself being nudged into a slow backward walk until her legs hit the side of his bed. Her entire body felt as if fire was running through its veins, as she fell onto the bed, not as heavily as she had expected since Josh's strong arms lessened the fall.

She looked into his eyes and was utterly surprised to find him as turned on as herself. Her stomach flip-flopped at the sight and her breathing hitched again. The man did things to her she never even thought possible. She ached to feel him inside her. Wanted nothing more than that in fact, but Josh had other plans, she could tell he was just getting started as his right hand took the spaghetti strap on her left shoulder and slowly lowered it down her arm, once again revealing her breast to him.

You're so beautiful, Ellie." Josh murmured. His hand beginning to fondle the exposed breast and he stared at it as if mesmerized.

She arched her back pressing her breast deeper into his hand. She watched as he lowered his head and flicked his tongue across the nipple of the other, through the material of her gown. She let out a loud moan and arched herself upwards again. As if impatient himself, Josh took the other strap between his teeth and lowered it as well, with a little help from her, and once again lowered his head to her waiting nipple. His tongue began to circle her tip, around its areola. The feeling it produced curled her toes again. He continued his assault and just when she thought she might actually go insane he took her into his mouth and sucked, his other hand still continuing to tweak and roll her nipple's twin between his fingers.

Her feminine core immediately began to pulse in a heated pleasant way. Her hands ran through his hair before coming to rest on either side of his head, just behind his ears. Involuntarily she pressed him harder towards her chest. His mouth and hand continued their magic until she exploded in a sudden mind-blowing, star producing orgasm.

And again, when she regained her faculties, Josh was nuzzling her neck. As her breathing returned to normal she opened her eyes. Never, had she been brought to a sexual peak from breast stimulation alone and found herself in shock. She had heard this to be possible, but didn't realize it could happen so easily, especially after she'd so recently been brought to a release.

She turned her head and placed a kiss on Josh's head. He stopped his ministrations and looked up at her.

"Don't you think it's time for you to have some fun?" she asked.

"I am having fun." He smiled.

Her stomach did some sort of summersault at this, "Josh…"

"Shh, Ellie." He replied before pulling himself up and kissing her on the lips. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of hot liquid running through her body. She pressed her tongue against his lips and was instantly granted entrance into his mouth. She explored until his tongue began to tangle with hers and before she knew it his tongue was exploring the inside of her mouth.

Her hands had somehow found their way to his bare back and were kneading his muscles. She was rewarded with a sexy groan. Unlocking their lips she began to trail kisses along his jaw line until she reached his neck and began her trail onto his throat, turning the kisses into gentle love bites, which Josh seemed to especially like, if his moans and stretching and turning of his head were any indication.

She felt her chemise being pulled up over her hips and come to rest on her stomach. Then Josh's hand was one again inside her panties. His feather light fingertips brushed through her curls and wasted no time taking her still swollen clit between his thumb and forefinger and began to roll it, pinch it, pull it, and rub it. The result was almost instantaneous. Her body shivered and convulsed as she moaned, or more accurately, yelled Josh's name into the air. When she came to her senses her own hand was inside Josh's pants and boxers, wrapped around his penis. Her thumb was caressing his tip and the sticky substance pooled there she was smearing over its head and onto her thumb. Josh was groaning and gently rotating his hips.

Just as she opened her eyes, Josh's hand sought hers and stopped its actions, "Ellie."

"Yeah," she panted.

"I'm going to explode."

"Isn't that the purpose."

"I'd rather be inside you." He kissed her on the lips.

"Okay." She spoke softly against him. She watched as he rose to his feet and proceeded to remove his pants and boxer shorts. She bit her lower lip as her eyes swept over his physique. She loved it; she couldn't imagine a more perfect male form. He was lean but muscular. His chest had just enough hair on it to remind a woman of his maleness. Her eyes stopped momentarily on his scar before raising to look into his eyes. They told her he knew she'd returned ever so briefly to that warm muggy evening. Before either of them could delve for too long in the memory, he reached down and took her hands into his, pulling her off the bed into a standing position in front of him.

She quickly let her eyes drop to his lower half. The state before her excited her beyond reason. The thought that she could excite Josh into such as a state of arousal thrilled her to death. She'd been so worried he wouldn't find her attractive, but his now solid erection told her otherwise.

Looking into his eyes again biting her lower lip. She was sure she was going to wake up at any moment to find herself alone in her bed, breathing hard from a rather spectacular dream. It wouldn't be the first time she done such a thing.

Josh let her hands fall to her side and took her satin garment, now pooled at her ribcage, exposing her upper half to him, and proceeded to push it down past her waist and over her hips, once there, it fell freely into a heap at her feet. The next thing she knew, his fingers were between the waistband of her panties and her skin, he pushed those down over her hips as well, and they joined her negligee on the floor.

A shiver ran through her body as she realized they were now both standing butt naked looking at one another.

"Cold?" Josh asked.

"I think so," she barely managed to get out.

He reached down and pulled the thick duvet on his bed back, motioning for her to climb back onto the bed. She did and was soon joined by Josh. He pulled the duvet up around her neck and pulled her into his arms.

"Better?" he asked while slowly running his hands up and down her arms.

"Yeah." She looked up into his face.

"You sure you're okay with this?" he asked.

"Absolutely." She sounded more confident than she actually felt. Not because she didn't want this, it was just her fear of failing him in bed that made her apprehensive.

She reached down and started to caress his inner thigh. His head fell back as a groan escaped his mouth. She slowly worked her way up to his scrotum and began fondling him, which produced a small buck from his hips.

"Ellie, I'm not gonna last if you continue." He ground between his teeth.

"Kay." She said but continued to fondle him.

Josh turned onto his back and reached over to his night table opening the drawer. He reached inside and took out a row of condoms, still attached to one another. He took one of the ends between his teeth and ripped it apart from the others, throwing them onto the floor. He quickly tore open the package and pulled out the rubber.

Ellie surprised herself when she reached over and took it out of his hands. She pushed the duvet back, sat up, and scooted down to Josh's mid section. She placed the condom on his tip and began to roll it onto his shaft without much progress.

Josh groaned and finally his hands reached down and took over the job.

"Sorry, I've never been any good at that." She confessed.

"Oh, you're good, but not at the condom part." He smiled at her before kissing her and gently pushing her back down to a lying position. "I can't wait, Ellie." He whispered.

"Good, neither can I." She replied and meant it. She wanted nothing more than to finally feel him inside her. He positioned himself between her legs, his upper body supported by his elbows and lower arms.

She lifted her knees so her feet were flat on the bed on either side of Josh's hips. She felt his tip come to rest against her core and tilted her pelvis slightly giving him better access. She locked eyes with his as he slowly and gently began to penetrate her. She'd noticed the condom had been lubricated but doubted it was needed, as she was wetter than she'd ever been in her life and wondered if Josh would notice.

He stopped just after his initial entrance, his eyes questioning her.

"I'm fine." She answered.

He pushed deeper and deeper until he was fully inside. He stayed still for a moment, she wasn't sure if he was giving her a moment to adjust to him or if he was doing it for his own benefit, or possibly both. Whatever the reason it was driving her insane. Instead of forcing the issue though, she decided to savor the moment. At long last, Josh Lyman, the man she'd been half in love with for years, was finally deep inside her, connected to her in a way that very few men before him had been. At that moment she kind of wished he had been her first. All thoughts quickly scattered from her brain however when she finally felt him begin to pull out, only to slide back in.

She quickly found his rhythm and engaged in a love dance as old as time itself. The pure ecstasy of it was overwhelming. He was thick and the sensations growing in her narrow tunnel were like nothing she'd ever felt before. He didn't rush but kept the pace slow and steady. She truly felt like she was being made love to and not just engaging in a quick roll in the hay, with these thoughts and the building pleasure, it didn't take long for her breathing to heighten and the heated feeling to begin to wrap itself around her body. The smoldering heat soon gave way to a beautiful eruption of sights and sounds as she clung to him calling out his name.

As she began her descent back to earth she suddenly realized Josh was starting to unravel. She immediately began to contract her vaginal muscles around his still erect penis and that's when he too lost it. She wanted this moment, the moment of Josh's complete pleasure and release, to last an eternity, but all too soon he'd reached his completion and was returning back to earth himself. So she was completely taken by surprise when a second orgasm, a small one, but no less pleasurable than any other, suddenly rocked through her body.

Once it had worked its way through her, they both just lay there, catching their breath, at least that's what she was doing, as well as trying to regain control over her emotions. She wanted to break down and weep like a baby she was so happy, but she refused. She wasn't about to do that to Josh. As she lay there squeezing her eyes shut so the tears that threaten wouldn't come, she felt him lift his upper body onto his elbows. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her.

"You okay?" he asked, concern etched into his features.

"Yeah."

"You sure? I didn't hurt you?"

"No." She smiled at him.

They remained silent for a moment before he exclaimed, "Wow! That was incredible."

"I agree." She smiled once again.

Josh leaned down and claimed her smile with his lips. They were warm, soft, and gentler than ever. His lips left her mouth and traveled down her jaw to her throat, which he pampered with delicious nibbles. "You smell fantastic." He whispered into her ear before once again lifting himself up onto on of his elbows and looking down at her.

"You like it?" she smiled realizing her instincts concerning her perfume had proven correct.

"Hmm, smells soft, it's perfect for you."

They shared a brief smile and then Josh was pulling himself out of her. She hated the feeling; he'd filled her to completion and she never wanted to lose the feeling. She missed him already. He, however, rolled onto his back and pulled her with him. Snuggling her against his body. She instinctively lay on her side settling her left leg between his and bringing her upper body as close to him as possible.

"I'm tired." He sighed.

"You?" She chided, "You wore me out." She lifted herself up and smiled at him.

"You're worn out? I feel like I just ran a marathon."

"Right." She lay her head back down in the crook of his shoulder and began to run the pads of her fingers across his chest hairs.

They lay silently that way for some time before Josh finally said, "I need to take this off." He gestured towards his manhood, indicating the condom. She lifted herself up allowing him to climb out of the bed. She watched as he retreated to the master bathroom.

She took the opportunity to look around the darkened room once again and had to contain the tears all over again. He really was a great guy she thought as she looked at all the lit candles around the room. No one had ever gone out of his way before to do something so sweet and romantic for her. She decided that was the difference between sleeping with a twenty something year old goof ball and sleeping with a forty something year old man. She was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of the tap water being turned on in the bathroom. That's when she realized she needed to use the bathroom as well.

She climbed out of bed and made her way to the open door, peaking inside. "Mind if I come in?" She asked as she watched Josh drying off his still slightly erect penis with a hand towel.

"Sure," he glanced up at her before throwing the towel into a laundry basket sitting behind the door. "Um, if you need anything, facecloth or anything, you'll find it in that closet." He pointed to a door beside the sink before leaving the room to give her some privacy.

Josh left the bathroom and set about blowing out the candles displayed throughout the room. He'd gone out that morning and purchased as many differently styled white candles he could find. He'd discovered during the week, that the closer their date approached, the more nervous he became. It had taken him by surprise really; he wasn't someone who doubted himself very often, but that seemed to be the bane of his troubles concerning this date. Self-doubt and a lack of confidence, he'd struggled with those things since about mid week.

So he did what he does with any political problem he's pitted against and looked at it, or in this case, looked at his feelings, from all angles. What was the problem, why was he having these feelings of self-doubt? Was it their age difference? Was it the fact that she was the president's daughter? How about the fact that he didn't know her that well? He'd finally concluded it was all off the above, plus another really big issue. Her confession that she'd been attracted to him for years. That weighted on him. He didn't know Ellie's exact age but assumed she was somewhere in her mid-twenties, maybe even a bit younger. If she had felt this way about him for years, he concluded she could quite possibly have been dreaming about this moment since before she was even sexually active, or possible just after. After all, wasn't that what young women do? They dream about these moments in their young lives instead of just taking them as they came? The thought terrified him. What if he let her down disappointed her? He truly didn't want to do that.

Then came the thoughts about his sexual prowess. That's something he hadn't doubted in years. He was forty years old he knew what he was doing in the sack. He knew how to read a woman's body language and the sex sounds she produced in bed; he knew the signs when he'd done something a woman liked. But what if he just proved too old for Ellie. What if he couldn't last as long as she needed him too?

The more he thought about his nervousness, the more he realized it really was more about Ellie's feelings rather than his own. He didn't want to disappoint her. He wanted their first time to be special for her and the one thing he did know was all women loved romance and the effort, whether big or small, a man put into it. So he set about creating a romantic ambiance. Her reaction when she'd come out of his bathroom earlier in the evening told him he'd gotten it right. She liked what she'd seen.

For his own part, when she'd walked out of his bathroom a vision of loveliness, radiant in her sexy red negligee all thoughts of her being the president's daughter vanished. She was a woman standing before him obviously wanting just as much as he did for their evening to turn very intimate. That, he could do, and had quickly set about achieving that goal. He knew she would probably have preferred to remain in her lovely garment longer, most women did, but it had stayed on just about as long as he could handle it. Had he had his way, he would have torn the thing off the moment his fingers had touched her womanhood and had found her wet and ready. That, more than the silken lingerie had fully aroused him.

At that moment Ellie walked out of the bathroom once more, looking a little shy from what he could only assume was having no clothing on. He turned his back and continued to blow out candles, allowing her the privacy of returning to the bed without him ogling her. Which, given a choice, he'd much rather be doing than blowing out candles. When finally the only ones left were the ones sitting on the bed side tables, he bent down and blew the ones out on his side of the bed and climbed in. Once he was settled, Ellie leaned over and blew the final three candles out, plunging the room into total darkness. He didn't need to reach out and pull her to him as she came to him on her own accord. He kissed the top of her head and relished the feel of her in his arms. They chatted for a bit until silence fell over the room. When her breathing evened out, he knew she'd fallen asleep and went back to his private thoughts.

To his relief their age difference didn't seemed to be an issue. He was quickly reminded that once a man and woman connected in the most primitive of ways, age flew out the window. His age did show, at least to him, when she'd started to touch him. He couldn't allow her to for too long or he would have come in her hand and he knew it would have taken some time for his erection to return, much longer than any of the younger men she would be used to anyway. She didn't seem to mind however when he stopped her actions, she seemed just as eager as he did for them to cut to the chase and have him plunging into her. Longevity didn't seem to be problem either because of her responsiveness.

Man had she responded to his touch! She was obviously a sensual woman who enjoyed her sexuality. Never, in all his sexually active years had he been with a more orgasmic lover. Sure, he'd been able to bring most of them to orgasm during foreplay and then again during actual intercourse, but Ellie had experienced much more than that. Now, as he lie with her sleeping in his arms, doubts began to invade his thoughts again. Had she experienced multiple pleasures so easily because of his experience, or had it been a build up of years of want on her part or maybe a combination of both? What if she wasn't even completely satisfied? Had he left her wanting or needing more? Had she fallen asleep frustrated? He'd always prided himself on being a people reader, but now, he had no clue. Would it be in bad taste to ask her if she'd been fulfilled? After at least an hour of questioning himself exhaustion took over his body allowing Josh to fall asleep, leaving his worries for his waking hours.

**WW**

The sound of his toilet flushing brought Josh out of his half a sleep half a wake state just in time to see Ellie returning to his bed. Light filtered into the room through a crack in his window drapes. He looked to his clock radio to discover it was six o'clock in the morning.

"Morning." He mumbled.

"Hi."

"Sleep okay?" he asked.

"Hm hmm." She informed him as she rolled onto her side to look at him.

He turned his head and caught a whiff of mint, toothpaste he decided. He looked into her face and was struck by her beauty. She was a natural. She also looked a bit uneasy, like she wasn't sure what would or should happen now, the day after. He didn't like that look it made him feel like a heel. Like she didn't know whether she was a one-night stand or someone with lasting power. It reminded him of a brief moment the night before when she looked like she'd been about to cry. It had scared him at first, thinking he may have hurt her, she had been after all, extremely tight. His immediate thought had been the possibility of her still being a virgin, but she'd been too responsive for that to ring true. He then decided it had just been a long while for her. When he found her close to tears though he'd actually asked her if he'd hurt her, she assured him he hadn't. He had no choice but to believe her, so he was left clueless.

"I'll be right back." He rolled out of bed and retreated to the bathroom. Once he took care of some early morning business he quickly brushed his teeth and returned back to bed.

He lay down beside her pushing his arm under her body, wrapping his free one around her waist. "You hungry?" he asked.

"A bit." She looked into his face.

"Me, too." He kissed her quickly and lightly resting his forehead on hers. "But my stomach can wait."

Her eyes became large before a smile snaked across her lips, "Mine, too."

Josh once again claimed her lips with his before he began to trail kisses, nips and small love bites along her face, throat, shoulders and finally to her breasts. She arched her back into him all the while making those beautiful love sounds he was beginning to love. Her body was soft and pliant. Her breasts perfect. Not too small, and not too large. Medium sized, round, soft, full, with very responsive pink nipples at their center. He took one into his mouth and suckled. Again, she arched and moaned, this time his name, her hands running through his hair. He didn't pay her breast much attention before he began a trek downward. Today he wanted to explore more of her body than he had last night.

In the soft glow of the shimmering candles he thought he'd caught just a small glimpse of her feminine core when he'd removed her skimpy panties, and could have sworn Ellie Bartlet was a natural blonde. He decided the best way to know for sure was to get an up close and personal look. He slowly began to trace warm kisses along her trim body. She moaned and withered at his touch. Had she been a virgin, he was positive she wouldn't be so relaxed at his obvious intentions. He momentarily stopped his downward motion running his tongue around her belly button, and could have sworn he heard her whimper. Never one to leave a woman wanting in bed, he continued his journey. When he reached the soft curls he found himself to be correct, definitely a blonde. He didn't know why, but the fact turned him on, maybe because by looking at her outward appearances one would never know. After all, her eyes were brown, not blue, she had dark eyebrows and her dyed hair looked natural to him. Perhaps the only give away, other than the obvious now staring at him in the face, was her skin tone. So, at the moment, he'd bet he was the only senior staffer, other than Leo perhaps since he'd known Ellie as a small child, who knew this little secret.

He couldn't help but groan out loud before finally placing as gentle a kiss he could muster onto her clitoris. Ellie moaned and lifted her hips off the bed, pressing into him. He once again placed his lips on her sensitive core and nipped this time. He was met with the same response, only this time she moaned his name. He flicked his tongue across her and she opened herself further. He ran his tongue downward until he found her opening, reaching up with his fingers, he peeled back her folds and licked.

"Ha Josh! Oh, that's good." She panted.

Placing her legs over his shoulders and his hands under her backside, allowing him better and easier access, he proceeded to lavish her with his mouth. She proved just as equally responsive to his mouth and lips in this region as she had to her upper body. She moaned, groaned, bucked and withered beneath his mouth, sometimes calling out his name. He found himself becoming more turned on than he had in a long while and was beginning to hurt he ached so much. He worked his way back up to her clit and took it into his mouth and began to suckle, while at the same time slipping his forefinger into her. Almost instantaneously she came undone. This time louder than any of the others and more prolonged. He slowed his oral actions while pulling out of her completely, when she seemed to have regained herself, he kissed his way back up to her beautiful face. She seemed to glow and in that moment, something inside him hurt. He didn't have time to explore that before she gained his attention again.

"Wow!"

"You ready for more?" he asked.

"Oh yeah." She smiled at him.

Quickly he set about sheathing himself and was again straining at her opening. He pushed slowly until he was nestled deep between her legs. Again, something in him hurt, it confused him and she must have sensed it or seen it on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." He then began to pump in and out, slowly at first, but unlike the night before, their rhythm quickened and they were both panting before first she, and then he closely behind reached their pinnacle. He lay on top of her, his weight resting on his arms, and nuzzled her neck. He could still smell her soft perfume mixed with the aroma of sex, their sex. He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back staring at the ceiling when his phone rang.

He grabbed his cordless off of its base, "Hello?" and had a work related conversation with Leo McGarry.

Ellie lie on her back searing the events of the past twelve hours or so into her brain, never wanting to forget them. Josh had proven to be a thoughtful and giving lover. In her wildest dreams she hadn't dared believe their sleeping together could be so magical, but that's exactly what it was. He made her feel things she'd never felt before, and not just sexually. She couldn't explain it, but she felt more connected to Josh than to any other lover she had and yet, she'd spent less time with him prior to becoming sexual with him than any other. She heard him saying goodbye to Leo and decided to get up and use the bathroom.

"See you tomorrow." Josh said just before hanging up the phone. He watched Ellie's retreating backside soaking up the sight. He swung his feet onto the floor and sat on the edge of his bed for a moment trying to figure out what the hell was going on with him. He was now well into over twenty years of being sexually active and never, ever, had he felt so connected to someone as he did Ellie. It didn't make sense.

"Josh, do you mind if I have a shower?" Ellie poked her head out of his bathroom.

"No, no, go ahead. Towels and facecloths are in the linen closet in there. Everything else should already be in the shower."

"Kay."

WW

Ellie returned to the White House residence the following morning at ten-thirty, after Josh had taken her out for breakfast. Her mind was full of thoughts and memories from the evening before, as well as that morning. Memories she planned on burning into her memory bank forever. Being with Josh was far better than she had ever imagined. He was a skilled lover, something that tugged just a little at her jealous side, but deep down she realized that Josh's past wasn't something she should waste energy, especially negative energy, on. The end result of his past love affairs only served to benefit her in the now. Something that immediately brought a smile to her face, she knew she'd never forget the burning sensation she'd experienced the moment Josh first touched her the night before. Her body had gone into some sort of heightened state.

She had thought she just might lose it all together when his hand finally took her bare breast into this hand and slowly began to build her pleasure. She'd become super aware of his body standing behind her, his warm breath on her bare shoulder, his right arm wrapped around her waist, the gentle kisses he began to place along her neck and shoulder. No dream could ever produce the pleasurable sensations that had coursed through her body. When he'd finally slipped his hand into her panties and caressed her most intimate spot she'd been momentarily embarrassed about how wet she'd already become, but it quickly passed when he'd moaned her name into her ear. Apparently, he liked what he'd found waiting for him.

Again, a smile appeared on her face as she reached the top step of the grand staircase and placed her foot onto the landing. She jumped when she first heard her mother's voice.

"Good morning, Ellie."

"Mom, I didn't see you there." Eleanor placed her hand on her chest.

"No, it would seem not." Abby looked at the overnight bag slung over her daughter's shoulder and commented, "I take it you're just returning home from your date?"

Eleanor's face flushed as she turned a light shade of pink, "Umm…"

"Oh, Ellie, don't be embarrassed. You're a grown woman. I assume last night wasn't the first time you spent an entire evening with a gentleman friend." Abby walked over to her daughter and placed her arm across Ellie's shoulder. "Why don't we have a cup of tea?"

"Sure. Can I drop my bag in my room first?"

"Of course. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Moments later the two women were in the resident kitchen, Ellie in charge of the tea while her mother cheated and popped a quick batch of Pillsbury crescent rolls into the oven.

"So, did you enjoy yourself? Abby asked when she turned to face Ellie.

"Mother!"

"I'm not asking for details. I'm just asking if your date went well."

"Yes, it was nice."

"What did you do?"

Ellie looked at her mom for any signs of prying but didn't see any so proceeded, "Movie and dinner."

"Nice, casual or high class?"

"Casual."

"Really?"

"You're surprised?"

"Yes, Josh has always struck me as a big spender when it comes to wining and dinning."

Ellie smiled knowing her mother well enough to know what she really wanted to say was she thought Josh would be the type to spend big bucks on a woman before bedding her for the first time. She answered her mother's question with what she believed to be the truth.

"To be honest, I think he just wanted to get out of a suit and tie, plus we were going to a movie first, not a play."

"That's right. I never thought about that."

An awkward silence fell between the two, which proved too much for Ellie. "Mom, what do you really want to talk about?"

Abby took a sip of her tea and thought about her daughter's question. True, she wanted to discuss this possible budding relationship taking place in Ellie's life, but she also knew if she pried too deeply, too quickly, Ellie would definitely shut her out. She and Ellie had always shared a close relationship, but her daughter had also inherited her father's stubbornness, which meant Abby had to tread carefully to insure she got her message across.

"I'm a little concerned." She answered.

Ellie sucked in her lips before asking, "About what? It's not our ages is it?"

"No, not really. You've always been mature for your years, although now that I think about it, there is a bit of a gap, isn't there?" Abby smiled.

Smiling back, Ellie replied, "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you know Josh's age?" Abby raised her eyebrows.

"Not exactly, do you?"

"Yes. His date of birth is on his medical records."

Ellie didn't need to ask her how or why she'd seen Josh's medical records. She knew it would have been after the shooting at Rosslyn.

"Would you like to know?" Abby questioned.

"Yes." Ellie couldn't hide her curiosity, "although I could just ask him."

"You could, but I have the information here and now." Abby smirked once again.

"Okay, Mother, tell. I know you're dying too."

"Forty- one." Abby watched her daughter's face carefully, trying to figure out what was going on in Ellie's mind. She assumed, correctly, that her daughter was calculating the seventeen-year age difference between herself and what Abby assumed was Ellie's newest lover. That thought took over the First Lady's thoughts. Josh Lyman and her twenty-four year old daughter, lovers! Leo's Deputy had proven time and again to be a rather open flirt, even daring to flirt with her on occasion, even so, she'd always suspected that Josh was a one woman man with more than his share of passion bubbling beneath the surface. He reminded her of Jed in so many ways. She thought it ironic that the man her middle daughter would end up with was so very much like the father she struggled to find a comfortable relationship with. It also concerned her. Ellie was never comfortable with her father's station in life; politics was not in Eleanor's blood. Josh though, was a born politician and as with her husband, was damn good at it.

"I'm most concerned about your emotional well being. This is something you've been hoping for, for a long time. I just hope Josh realizes how deeply you feel for him and how deeply hurt you could be if this doesn't work out."

Ellie was pretty sure the shock she was feeling was registered on her face. "How did you know?"

"Ellie, I'm your mother, besides yourself there's no one on the face of the earth who knows you better. I've seen the way you look at Josh, how you've always hung onto anything he says. You perk up when you hear his voice on T.V. Then there was your father's inauguration."

"What about it?"

"You practically melted in his arms when he danced with you."

A slow smile spread across the younger woman's face. How could she have forgotten that? Being in Josh's arms that night, if only for a brief few minutes, had been the best moment of her life. They'd danced to the Eagles "Best of my Love" and she remembered Josh had hummed the words, she could still feel the vibrations in his chest.

"Even now, you can't stop smiling." Abby did love the sight of her middle daughter's smile, and now, on the morning after, Ellie did have a glow about her.

"I hope Dad won't be disappointed if he ever finds out that dance was the highlight of that night."

"I think he could handle it. Your sister I'm not too sure about."

"Liz? She's never liked Josh. Plus, it's not her opinion of Josh I care about. Yours and Dad's matter to me though."

Seeing the small look of fright on Ellie's face confirmed what Abby had always believed, that despite Ellie's strong showing of independence, she was still just as interested in hers and Jed's approval as she'd been as a five year old.

"I like Josh. In many ways he reminds me of your father. Not to mention he's making a decent living, doing a very good job in a position not many people would want or could handle. He's never shown us anything but respect, and continues to do so by speaking to your father before taking you out last night. But, like I said, I'm concerned about you falling too hard, too fast, and hope Josh knows how badly you could end up hurt."

"I think he does."

"Really? So Josh finally figured out how you feel about him."

"No."

"Then how…"

"I told him."

"Really? Why in the world…"

"I'd really rather not get into why I told him, but I did. I think he was a bit surprised."

"No kidding. I'm sure it took him off guard."

"It didn't seem to."

Abby smiled at her daughter, "Believe me, Ellie, even if it did, which I'm sure of, he wouldn't have shown you. He's too good a politician to let you see what's going on."

"Mom, he's not a politician."

"Who's not?" Jed asked as he walked into the room bending down to give his wife a kiss.

"Josh." Ellie answered her father just as he reached for the coffee can inside a cupboard. Her statement stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned to her and asked, "You're kidding right?"

Abby picked up her tea trying to figure out whether she should let this conversation take it's natural course or become a buffer between the two of them. She decided to hang tight for now.

"No." Ellie answered.

"Eleanor, I sure as hell hope you don't believe that. Because if you do then you're living in a dreamland." Jed grabbed the container of coffee and proceeded to set up the coffeemaker to brew.

"Dad, I'm pretty sure he's never, not once, run for public office."

"And that is the basis of your theory?"

Ellie didn't answer, suddenly wondering if Josh was after all a politician. She thought of him as only a public servant someone who worked for her father.

"Ellie, Josh Lyman has held more federally political positions than I have, or ever will for that matter. You should take a look at his resume some time."

"What?"

"You heard me, the man that took you home last night has been Congressman Brennan's Chief of Staff, the floor manager for the Majority Whip, and Democratic Legislative Director not only in the Senate, but also in the House of Representatives. Long after I've retired, Josh Lyman will still be living in this town somehow making a difference in the world of federal politics."

Ellie couldn't believe her ears. She was only now realizing that before he worked for her father, she had no idea what Josh had done for a living. She assumed he'd been a lawyer.

"Morning." Zoey walked into the room.

"Morning, Sweetheart." Abby smiled at her youngest daughter, thankful for the distraction she'd just created.

"You making coffee, dad?" she asked.

"Yes." Jed took down a mug for himself as well as Zoey.

Zoey turned to Ellie and asked, "So how was your date?"

"Fine."

"He didn't talk about politics all night did he, Charlie and I have a bet." Zoey smiled at her sister.

"As a matter of fact," Ellie looked towards her father, "he didn't, not once."

Jed picked up his mug and once again kissed Abby, "I'm heading to the office for a few hours. Leo and Josh should be waiting for me there."

"Okay. See you later?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, a nice family dinner would be nice." He replied when he reached the door.

"Ellie?" Abby asked.

"Sure, I can stay. But I'd like to be back in Baltimore early."

"We can manage that."

"Great." The president replied before he left.

"So who wins the bet?" Abby asked Zoey.

"Me. I knew Josh had it in him. Charlie wouldn't believe me though."


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie and Josh had spent very little time together the rest of the weekend. She spoke to him on the phone late Sunday afternoon just before sitting down with her family to the dinner her father had requested. They'd talked for close to an hour and half, mostly about her schooling, what her schedule was like, what her favorite subjects were and what her dreams for her future were. When she finally climbed into the government sedan waiting to transport her back to Baltimore, she found herself asking the agents to take her to Josh's place instead.

He hadn't hidden the surprise he felt when he answered the door to see her, she'd been happy to see it was a pleasant surprise. She'd been nervous about just dropping in on him with no notice. He took it in stride and they managed to spend a couple of glorious hours together. Afterward, as they snuggled in his bed, she advised him she'd make an appointment to see her doctor as quick as she could, so she could get a prescription for birth control. She hadn't renewed her last one since she'd had no reason for it, but now, it seemed she would definitely need it filled. He assured her there was no rush, but agreed it was a good idea, even offering to foot the bill, which she vehemently declined.

WW 

Monday evening after having been dismissed from the meeting he, Sam, and Toby had been called into, Josh and Sam left Leo's office deciding to head down to the gym in the basement for a quick workout. When they finished there the two headed back to Josh's apartment. Josh sat on his couch with his feet resting on his coffee table, a beer in his hands, while Sam did the same in a chair. They had the TV on but neither was really paying much attention to it.

While pulling the label off his beer bottle Josh suddenly asked, "Have you ever been with someone who experiences multiple orgasms?"

Sam looked at his best friend before taking a pull on his beer. "A couple times," he finally replied, knowing Josh must have a reason for asking the question other than a round about way of bragging, letting him know that Josh had recently discovered a multi pleasers as he liked to call them.

"Why?" he asked when Josh remained silent.

"How do you know when she's been satisfied?" Josh questioned his trusted friend.

"Well, Josh, if you're doing it right, you can pretty much guess by the third or forth time you're peeling her off the ceiling that she's happy." Sam grinned.

Josh couldn't help but smile at his friend's description and smile. "I mean, how do you know when she's done? That you're not leaving her frustrated?"

"Oh, well, that's another question all together. I guess it comes with time, no pun intended," the speechwriter grinned his reply again.

"Funny."

"I thought so."

Josh took a swig of his beer, "Were you in a relationship with these women, or were they you know, quick fixes?"

"Both."

"So the relationship, you eventually knew when she'd had enough or been satisfied enough."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"I take it you found yourself one?"

"Yeah."

"Lucky bastard." Sam said before taking a sip of his beer.

WW 

Tuesday, Josh walked into the Press Secretary, CJ Gregg's office before senior staff, greeting her with a simple, "Hey."

"Hi." CJ looked up from her computer monitor.

"Busy?"

"Always, what's up?" CJ replied while watching Josh lower himself onto her couch.

"Um…I have something to tell you."

CJ sat for a few minutes looking at her friend and co-workers nervous face, finally she encouraged, "Don't worry. I won't bite." She teased.

He smiled, flashing her his trademark dimples, "I'm not sure whether I believe you or not."

"It's a chance you take then, isn't it?" she smiled back.

"I don't know how else to say this, other than to just say it."

"Okay."

"I'm seeing Ellie."

"Ellie Bartlet?"

"Yeah."

"Seeing as in dating?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Does the President know?"

"Yes."

"How'd he take it?"

"Remarkably well."

"I guess I should have assumed that considering you're still breathing and you know gainfully employed."

"Surprising isn't it?" Josh said.

"Yeah." Remembering they were at work CJ quickly slipped into Press Secretary mode. "You want me to slip this into the news cycle?"

"NO! I just wanted to give you the heads up, in case someone in the press gets wind of it."

"Right. Do you think that's a possibility?"

"I imagine. We're not sneaking around, we have the President's and First Lady's blessing and we've already been out publicly together."

"You're right, someone's bound to confront me sooner or later. How do you want it handled?"

"Quickly and honestly."

"Something like, yes, they're dating. Yes, the President knows and it would be appreciated if you'd leave them alone." CJ said off the top of her head.

"Good, except throw in that the affore mentioned parties would appreciate it if you'd leave them alone." Josh said.

"Sure, let's them know the request is not only yours and Ellie's, but the President's as well."

"Exactly."

"You got it."

"Thanks." Josh replied raising to his feet and heading out the door.

"Josh."

"Yeah?" He turned around to face CJ.

"She's a sweet kid, be nice."

"Should I be taking offense to that?"

"No, I'm just saying she's sweet and not exactly the type of woman you usually date. I'm sure she's not a seasoned pro at dealing with, you know, your type."

"Believe it or not, CJ, I do know I'm way out of my league here."

"Okay. Good luck."

With that Josh left CJ's office walking down the long hallway that lead back to his own desk. CJ sat watching the Deputy Chief of Staff's overly confident stride in disbelief. Wow, she though to herself, Josh and Ellie!

Later in the day, after finishing his lunch in the mess, Josh purchased a coffee and was taking the steps back up to the working offices of the west wing two at a time when his cell phone rang.

"Josh Lyman." He answered.

"Hi."

A smile quickly and easily spread across his face, "Hey, Ellie. What's up?"

"Nothing. My classes were canceled so I'm just in my room working on a paper and thought I'd give you a call. You busy?"

"Nope. Just finished lunch, heading to my office to grab a couple of files before my next meeting." He replied as he walked into his office, walked over to his desk and looked through a few file folders, making sure everything was in place.

"I miss you." Ellie's voice dropped an octave.

Josh's senses seemed to come alive with that sentence. Not only had her voice become damn sexy but needy as well. "It hasn't been that long." He teased.

"Three whole days." She argued, "far too long to go without you."

Josh felt a twinge in his lower region and knew he was headed for trouble. He was in his office in the middle of a workday with no relief in sight, but there was also no way he was about to hang up on her. He retraced his steps and shut the main door leading into his office noting the others were already closed.

"You still there?"

"Um, yeah." He answered.

"I really wish you were here." She practically purred in his ear.

He did too, but he couldn't be so he made the quick decision to give her what she was so obviously seeking. "Ellie?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you wearing?"

"Nothing."

"No bra, underwear?" Josh closed his eyes trying to ignore his growing bulge.

"Not a stitch."

Josh tried to withhold his groan, but failed miserably.

"I thought you'd like that." He could hear the smile in her voice as she said those words.

"I don't like not being there." Josh admitted to her.

"To see me?"

"Yeah."

"Touch me?"

"Oh yeah." He managed through his groan.

"Would it help if I told you I was touching myself and imagining it was you?"

Josh couldn't help yet another groan escape, "no, it doesn't."

"I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?"

"No." he lowered himself into his chair behind his desk. "Where Ellie?"

"Where what?"

"Are you touching yourself?"

"My breast. I'm trying to remember what you'd be doing?"

"First of all, I wouldn't start with your breast. First I'd kiss you like you'd never kissed before, then I'd make my way to that spot just below your ear. The one that makes you shiver and reduces you to putty in my hands."

"Mmm, that sounds nice. But I'd still be wanting more."

"Oh, I know that, Honey. You have to learn patience."

"I'm not looking for patience today. I want hot and frenzied." She begged.

"It would be worth it."

"If it was truly your hands touching me and not my own." She corrected him.

"Close your eyes and pretend."

"Kay. You know this isn't the first time I've done this." She purred again.

"Touched yourself?" he asked.

"While pretending it was you." She amended.

Josh's thoughts froze for a moment. He knew Ellie wasn't talking about since they'd started dating. She was admitting to him that she'd done this in the past, before she really knew what it was like to have his hands and mouth on her. To have him make love to her, it made him ponder when else she may have fantasized about him, and how often?

"I'm working my way down you throat now, Ellie. You smell delicious, like lavender."

"That's my shower gel."

"I like it." Josh commented while listening to her soft pant of pleasure. Yes, she was definitely experienced in the art of self-love. Again, he groaned.

"You're going too slow, Josh."

He could almost detect a whine in her voice. He glanced at the clock on the wall and had to agree with her. He had to be back in his meetings in fifteen minutes and this wasn't the day to be late. He was staffing the President today.

"I'm at those beautifully sculpted breasts of yours, Ellie."

"Oh yes." She whispered.

"My tongue is swirling round your nipple. It's formed into a peak, longing to be touched, your back is arched."

"Hmm."

"Finally, I flick my tongue across its center."

Ellie actually cried out at this point, piquing Josh's curiosity.

"What are you doing, Ellie?"

"Pinching my nipple and pulling on it."

"As if I was sucking?"

"Yes." She panted.

Suddenly Josh heard a faint humming sound. Initially he took a quick look around his office, then realized the noise was coming through the phone. "Ellie?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm…umm…holding a vibrator against my clit."

Josh's eyes involuntarily closed while leaning back in his chair. He was instantly rock hard and wanting nothing more than to be on the other end of the phone.

"Ellie, I've just lost my patience. I'm heading south." He opened his eyes.

"Thank, God!" Was her breathy reply to his statement.

"I've taken that hardened nub between you legs into my mouth and I'm suckling." Josh wasn't sure what sound came from her mouth; but he liked it a lot. It was definitely one of the sounds she made when he was doing something she liked.

"You taste like heaven, Ellie."

"Josh." She panted heavily.

"I've stopped suckling and I'm now flicking my tongue across your clit."

"Mmm feels good."

Josh looked up at the clock. Ten minutes to go. "Okay, Ellie, I'm going lower now." He said continuing to hear the soft humming noise in the background.

"Yes."

"You like that, huh?"

"You know I do." She continued to pant.

"Oh yeah, Ellie, I know exactly how you like it." He growled.

"You're a quick study."

"Indeed I am. I'm kissing you now."

"Not on my lips I hope?"

"Yes, but not the ones on your face."

"Oh Josh, I'm close."

He glanced at the clock again, "good, we'll bring you home now. My tongue is now in your depths."

"OH!"

"I'm frantically alternating between kisses, licks, sucks, and plunges. Your tension is building and you're so close your lifting yourself up to meet me."

Ellie was making all kinds of pleasurable noises and he could tell she truly was close to reaching her climax. The thought of her using a vibrator on herself was more than a bit intriguing and exciting. Josh made a mental note to himself for them to explore that vibrator together sometime. He was brought out of his own little fantasy about using the vibrator on Ellie in the flesh, by the woman herself. 

"JOSH!"

"That's it, Ellie, concentrate, my mouth has taken your clit just as two of my fingers plunge into you. I've curled them upward seeking out your special spot. I find it just as I start to suckle…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence as Ellie launched into an explosive orgasm. She was calling out his name, making him wish once again he were there in the flesh. Holding her, kissing her, stroking her, looking into her eyes as she returned to the present. As he continued to listen to her release he could picture her withering and thrashing about, his eyes closed, visualizing her glistening skin, a soft pink hue coming to its surface. He could hear her breathing returning to normal.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Much."

"Good, listen, Ellie, as much as I'd like to stick around and whisper sweet nothings, I've really gotta get to my meeting."

"Okay. I'll still see you Friday night, right?"

"You can count on it."

"Kay, bye."

"Bye."

"And Josh."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"My pleasure, bye." Josh snapped his phone shut and closed his eyes again placing his head in his hands. He was still rock hard and had to get going or he'd be late. He knew he couldn't go though, he could just imagine walking into the Oval Office and asking all those present to please excuse his boner, as he'd just had one sided phone sex with President Bartlet's twenty-four year old daughter. Yeah, that would go over real well.

He had no choice but to think of the one thing he knew would chase away his hard on, his sister's funeral and the grief on his parent's faces. Sure enough, the thought worked like a charm. He was pretty sure Stanley wouldn't be pleased with him, but drastic times called for drastic measures.

He grabbed the files he needed, his coffee, and headed back to the Oval. Reaching the outer office, he smiled at Mrs. Landingham sitting behind her desk. Just as he sat on the edge of Charlie's desk, the young man himself exited the President's office. "He's ready for you, Josh."

"Thanks." Josh made his way into the room.

"Have a good lunch, Josh?" President Bartlet asked him.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I think it's going to be a long afternoon."

The President had been more than accurate with his prediction, his afternoon in the Oval had been a tad more challenging then he'd thought it would be and also ran long. At six o'clock, with everyone gone from the room but Josh and the President, Jed asked, "What did you think of Senator White?"

"He was pompous, arrogant, self-centered, and too unyielding, but he made some good points." Josh replied knowing the man was looking for his honesty.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

Josh didn't respond, just continued to sit thinking about the report he'd need to write involving all the issues the President had discussed with the various individuals he'd met with that day.

Staffing the President was certainly not one of Josh's favorite responsibilities, as it took him away from more pressing matters on his own desk. He would admit though that he enjoyed knowing the President valued his opinions, knowledge, and insight enough for him to regularly sit in on Oval Office meetings.

"If there's nothing else, sir." Josh said while standing up.

"No, it's late. We're finished. Good work today, Josh. Thank-you."

"With pleasure, Mr. President." Josh replied while walking toward the exit. When he reached out and took the doorknob, he was stopped by his boss's booming voice, "Josh, I'd like to see you half an hour before senior staff tomorrow."

Josh turned to look at the older man. He'd known for days that something was going on, but had no idea what it could be. "Is everything all right, sir?"

"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Mr. President."

WW 

Eleanor Bartlet had spent the same afternoon finally able to concentrate on her paper and managed to accomplish more than she'd actually planned to. She knew the reason was her phone call with Josh and the thought brought a smile to her face. She imagined she'd be embarrassed at the memory, but she wasn't. Josh had made the whole experience easy.

She'd felt nervous when she had dialed his number, thinking she wouldn't be able to go through with her plan anyway as she'd never engaged in phone sex in her life, she figured she'd just say hi and enjoy some small talk. When she actually heard his voice though, she couldn't help herself. He sounded relaxed and fresh, which to her sounded down right sexy. Too her relief, when Josh caught on to her ulterior motive for the phone call he hadn't judged her or hadn't seemed disappointed in her, but had played along. That being so, she still couldn't believe she'd admitted to him having masturbated while fantasing about him. Again, he didn't seem to judge, the man was turning out to be far better then she had ever imagined.

The whole experience had been awesome. While it was true that wasn't her first time touching herself or not the first time to use a vibrator, it had been the first time she'd done either with a lover, whether he was in the same room as her or not. As she'd admitted to Josh, it wasn't the first time she'd done either while pretending it was Josh, and not just her own hands but a vibrator bringing her to completion. It was however the first time she'd been able to do it while knowing what it really would have felt like if it had been him. She admitted to herself now that while she now knew him on an intimate level, nothing could substitute the real thing, but being able to hear his voice had been wonderful and helped make it more enjoyable.

She looked at the clock sitting on her desk, here it was eight o'clock at night and her insides were still humming from her telephone nooner. She jumped when there was a soft rapping on her door. She got out of bed and opened the door. "Josh," she said as she watched the eyes of the man she'd just been day dreaming about sweep over her.

Josh whispered his own, "Hi." While taking inventory of his new found lover. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her face devoid of any make up looking beautiful and fresh. She was wearing a pair of pajamas, consisting of a button up shirt and drawstring pants, which rested loosely on her narrow hips. Noticing her feet were bare, before his eyes swept back up her body, taking note that the centers of her breasts were puckered seeking attention, before looking back into her eyes.

While she looked happy to see him, she also looked confused.

"I'm delivering sweet nothings if you're interested." He said.

A smile crossed her lips and she stepped aside to allow him to enter her tiny room, shutting the door. "That's sweet," she said. She noticed Josh's eyes refocus on her chest and her already erect nipples began to tingle. "I suppose I left you feeling a little randy this afternoon." She stated.

"Just a little." Josh raised his eyes to hers again.

"I think we could fix that." Ellie purred as she brought her hands up to her pajama top and started to unbutton herself.

Josh's eyes lowered once more as he came to her, brushing her hands aside before taking over for her. He no sooner had the shirt undone and pushed aside than his mouth descended upon her. She arched her back and moaned letting her fingers rack through his hair before she quickly set to work getting him out of his coat, shirt, and tie.

Josh pushed her shirt across her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor behind her. He then slowly began pulling her bottoms further down her hips until they too fell to the floor, pooled at her feet. He groaned as his hands rested on her bare bottom. "No underwear, Ms. Bartlet?"

"Not tonight. I should make a habit of not wearing any, it would give you easy access after all."

"I'm not going to argue with that." Josh growled as he started to lower himself to his knees in front of her. He'd just come face to face with her soft blonde curls when she grabbed him by the shoulders and tugged on him. "Just take me, Josh. I'm ready."

He looked up at her, "you sure?"

"Yes, I need you inside me, now!" She demanded.

Josh rose to his feet making quick work of his belt, pants, and boxers. Once they were discarded he reached into his walled and took out a condom. He sheathed himself as Ellie lowered herself onto her bed, never once taking her eyes off his manhood. He made his way to the foot of Ellie single bed and climbed on.

Ellie lowered herself onto her back and pulled her knees up looking into his eyes. All Josh saw was pure lust radiating from them, the way she reacted whenever they were in the throes of passion made him feel twenty years old again. Young enough to go all night and into the wee hours of the morning. He felt virile, wanted, and extremely masculine with her.

Walking on his knees towards her, he looked down to her waiting pulsating sex and groaned. When he reached her, Ellie spread herself to him and he could see she hadn't been joking, she was definitely ready for him. Her nub was visible and erect, her nether lips swollen, as if all her bodies blood had pooled there, and she was extremely wet, as if she'd just recently recovered from an orgasm. He wouldn't put it past her either. She was an extremely sensual woman, who as it turned out, was comfortable with her body, knew what pleased her, and wasn't beyond pleasing herself.

He finally reached her waiting womanhood and stopped when his penis nudged her entrance, resting there for a moment. He looked at her face; the want he saw spurred him on and he entered her with one quick hard thrust. Her back arched and she cried out. He knew the sound meant she liked what was happening. During their first night together, he'd become very adept at reading her love sounds. He lowered his upper body down to her and kissed her on the lips.

"God, that feels good!" she exclaimed as he began to thrust in and out of her, she grabbed his butt cheeks, "Don't stop!" she pleaded.

Josh obeyed her command and began thrusting quicker and harder, remembering her comment on the phone about wanting it hot and frenzied. He could feel his own pleasure building as he listened to Ellie's meows and her breathing becoming jagged. He knew she was close, he was too and was starting to worry that he'd come before she did.

"Come on, Ellie. I need you to come with me, honey. I'm too close. You don't want to miss out, do you?" he whispered in her ear.

"No, oh no…Oh yes, Josh." She moaned. "I'm close, oh so…" her words never did make it out, instead she growled something inaudible and her body convulsed in pleasure. Her inner walls began to message him as well as pulsate, that's when Josh exploded, his seed spilling into the condom.

An hours later, after Josh had done all the things he said he'd been doing to her over the phone, and had finished by slowly making love to her again, he lay with her wrapped in his arms. He had no idea what was happening to him, but he knew he felt a need to protect this woman from anything harmful that may come her way. Sure they were proving very compatible in bed, but out of bed he was truly enjoying her as well. It donned on him that he was not power dating Ellie Bartlet. It'd been a long time since he hadn't power dated. For years now he dated only woman who could eventually pull strings for him in areas he needed strings to be pulled. Of course, it had been a two way street. He knew the women in his life had been after something from him as well. With Ellie, it wasn't like that; she had no connections that he needed. As a matter of fact, the only real political connection she had was her father, but he already had access to the President. As for Ellie, she wasn't a political beast. She didn't want anything from him other than him. Now that was powerful stuff he thought.

That's also what had him so scared. Ellie was definitely different than any other woman he'd dated. He knew he had the power to truly hurt her and it scared him to death. Not enough to send him packing, but enough to keep him on his toes. The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"I didn't interrupt anything important today, did I?" She asked.

"With your sex call?" He asked as he looked at her face resting in the crook of his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"No. Like I said I was just finishing lunch."

"Good, I don't know what came over me, other than I needed to hear your voice."

He smiled softly, "You were horny."

She tucked her head into his side before looking up at him with a blush, "I guess I was, sorry."

"Don't be. I aim to please." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You do it very well." Her blush deepened.

He remained quiet but began to slowly caress her side.

"You seemed to be in a hurry though." She questioned.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had some important meetings I couldn't be late for."

"Don't be sorry, I called you at work, I'm just thankful you were on lunch and not in a meeting. You're a pretty important guy though, don't you have some kind of clout when it comes to meetings on your turf?"

"Yes, with the exception of two people."

"Who?" she asked him.

"Who do you think?"

"Leo obviously, but…Oh! Oh my, you had a meeting with my father?" She asked astonished.

"I was staffing him today."

"You were interviewing potential employees?" she asked with a frown obviously confused.

"No. Staffing means I sat in on all his meetings today."

Ellie pulled herself up onto her elbows and played with his chest hairs, "sounds boring. Why did you have to be there?"

"When he has a full day of meetings, or an important one, he likes to have a second set of eyes and ears."

"So you just sit and listen?"

"Mostly, but I'm also there for my knowledge and insight, so I'm allowed to speak." He smiled.

"You're teasing me."

"Just a bit."

"Do you all take turns?"

"Teasing you? You'd have to tell me."

"Josh." She tried to give him a stern look, but failed miserably because all he could see was the look of a recently satisfied woman.

"No, we don't. It's my job, especially on domestic issues."

"Oh." He heard something in her response but couldn't place it. Then her eyes became large and her blush returned tenfold.

"What?" he asked.

"You, oh my god, you hung up the phone and then went into a meeting with my father!"

"In the Oval Office," he added, thinking the horrified look on her face was adorable.

She dropped her head onto his chest, "that's so embarrassing."

"Excuse me? Embarrassing for whom?" he continued to tease.

With her head still down she spoke into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Josh."

Placing two fingers under her chin he tilted her head up to look at her, "don't be. That was hot and fun, plus, you know, its not like I walked into the room with a hard on and explained I'd just had phone sex with his daughter."

A smile crossed her lips. "It was fun."

"Could have been a lot more fun if I hadn't been at work." His eyes glazed over.

"Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I liked feeling wanted so urgently." He kissed her on the lips before adding, "speaking of urgent, I should be going. Your father wants to see me early tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't say, but I have to admit, I'm feeling nervous. He and Leo have seemed pre-occupied lately, and Toby's been a bear, now that I think about it, Toby's been avoiding me as well."

"You don't think it has anything to do with us, do you?" she frowned.

"No. If your father had a problem with us, or me, he would have voiced his opinion or concern before now." He assured her.

"You know you can stay." She offered when he got off the bed.

"Thanks, but I really should head home. I'll see you Friday night?" he confirmed.

"Yeah."

Josh set about dressing while Ellie put her pajama top back on but didn't bother with her bottoms, instead slipping on a pair of underwear that had Josh wishing he were staying the night.

WW 

The following morning Josh sank into the chair behind his desk following senior staff. Shock, anger, disbelief, and hurt were the four emotions he could identify, but he knew there were more inside, bubbling with the others. The President had informed him in the meeting before the staff meeting that he was suffering from a relapsing remitting form of Multiple Sclerosis.

He'd hid it from them, not divulging the information when he ran for the Presidency, not after he'd taken office, and certainly not to either the staff or the public. So many questions swirled around in his head. What did this mean? Did the President's telling him mean he was preparing for a second announcement? That he wouldn't seek a second term? Hell, how would it affect his current term? Did they tell the public? Should they tell the public? Had the President broken any laws by with holding this information? Josh guffawed at himself, hell he was a lawyer, shouldn't he know the answer to that question. He sat continuing to stare into space, wishing he could pick up the phone and call his father, asking him his opinion.

He was brought out of his daydream when Leo McGarry, the White House Chief of Staff, stuck his head in the doorway, "You okay, kid?"

"I honestly don't know, Leo. I'm numb."

"He should have waited to tell you until after senior staff was over. You were pretty much useless in there."

"Yeah, well, I'd just found out a man I admire and respect lied to me."

Leo averted eyes with the younger man, feeling terrible about the whole ordeal. He had wanted to be in the room when Josh was told, but the President had balked at the idea. As a matter of fact, Josh was the only person the President himself was telling personally, he was leaving the rest of the senior staff for Leo to tell. So despite how Josh was feeling, obviously President Bartlet held Josh in high regard as well.

"Oliver Babish wants you in his office Friday morning at seven-thirty. You know where I am if you need to talk, or vent, or something." Leo offered just before he started to leave.

"Hey, Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"His daughters know, right?"

"Yes."

"Kay, thanks."

When Leo left, Josh picked up the receiver to his phone and punched in the number to Ellie's cell phone. He was just about to hang up when Ellie's breathless voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Josh?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"You okay, you sound kind of funny?"

"Yeah, no, I don't know. Can we have dinner tonight?"

"Um, I guess I can manage it. I can come into town."

"Okay, what time?"

"Around seven." She sounded unsure.

"That'd be great. I'll be at home."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Ellie snapped her cell phone shut and stood routed to her spot, wondering what had happened? Josh had mentioned her father wanting to talk to him this morning. What could her father have said that could have him in such a state? Not only had Josh's words belied his worry but his flat-worried sounding voice was a dead give away that something was wrong.

She resisted the urge to call her father directly, and decided to let Josh confide in her. Something was bothering him enough to feel the need to reach out to her. She instinctively knew to leave her father out of it for now, but that didn't mean butterflies weren't now swirling around in her stomach as she stepped back into her anatomy class.

Hours later, Ellie and her secret service detail were at Josh's apartment. When he opened the door after she knocked, Ellie's heart skipped. He looked terrible. She waited in the hallway for her agent, Molly, to make sure Josh's place was secure. When she was finally admitted entrance, she found Josh sitting on his couch staring into space. She sat down beside him and patted his knee.

"Josh."

He turned and looked at her, Ellie was surprised to see anger in his face. Anger mixed with confusion, if she had to name it.

"He told me, Ellie." He sounded deflated.

"Told you what?" She didn't bother asking who, instincts told her Josh was speaking about her father. She couldn't imagine what he'd said to Josh. Obviously she'd been thinking whatever her father had spoken to Josh about had been about her and his Deputy Chief of Staff. So she was blown away with Josh's response.

"About his MS."

"He did? Why?" Ellie asked, anger starting to well in her chest, the thought that possibly her father was beating her to the punch didn't sit well with her. Yes, if she and Josh continued to be an item, the topic of her father's health would eventually come up, but that was a long, long way away.

"For political reasons." Josh answered seeming to somehow sense her inner thoughts.

"I don't understand. Has the press found out?"

"No, but I'm in a lurch. How do I advise someone when I'm royally pissed off at him?" Josh blew air out of his mouth at that point and lowered his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Why are you so angry?"

"For starters, he lied!"

"No, he didn't."

"Yes he did, Ellie."

"I don't see it that way, Josh."

"To be honest, Ellie, it doesn't matter what you think. What matters is what the public is going to think."

"The public! They don't need to know, Josh."

"Of course they do. The have a right…"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Ellie spat out.

"It's not bullshit." Josh sprang to his feet. "The truth of the matter is he lied through omission. The voting public had every right in the world to know that the man they were putting into the White House had a disease that could affect his decision making."

"That's why he has advisors, isn't it?" She yelled back.

"We advise, we don't make the final decision to send military troops into a war torn country, or whether or not to send F.B.I agents into a potentially dangerous situation, or what about whether or not to pardon someone on death row, need I go on. Those decisions can have huge ramifications in other areas."

"You're not being fair."

"Don't be naive! Fairness has nothing to do with it. At the very least he should have told us while we were campaigning."

"Why does it really matter?" 

"Because we had a right to know exactly who our candidate was, that's why. The bigger question though is why is he telling me now? What does he want from me? If he wants to seek a second term, this would have been a much easier issue to take on during the first campaign.

"Josh…"

"He lied, Ellie, that's all people are going to think. I don't know how to fix this."

"Josh, it's not your job to fix this!"

"No, Ellie, you don't get it, this is exactly my job."

Ellie saw the anguish in Josh's face and calmed herself down, she still didn't agree with Josh's view and was still hopping mad, but Josh looked so lost she stopped yelling and used a softer tone, "Josh, relax. You don't even know if he's going to run again."

Josh turned to look at her, "Is he?"

"I don't know."

Josh flopped back down onto the couch; "he lied to me."

Ellie finally realized that Josh was hurting. Her father's not confessing this information to his staff had hurt him and she got it. Josh had given her father his blind faith and this morning her father had thrown it back in Josh's face.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

Josh looked at her small form sitting beside him and felt like a heel. He slid next to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. "You don't have to be sorry, but I am. Here I am yelling at you and it's your father I'm upset with."

"I wish I could make your anger and disappointment disappear."

"Well unfortunately you can't, but your being here makes me happy, and I'm actually feeling hungry." He lied. "Let's go out to eat."

"Kay."

"What do you feel like?"

"Italian?"

"Sounds good. I know just the place." He looked her up and down; "You'll even pass."

"Pardon me?"

"They have a dress code. Well not really a code, but no jeans allowed." He looked again at her legs.

Ellie was glad she was in need of doing her laundry, so this morning had thrown on a pair of dress pants and a sweater.

The couple spent the next hour and a half at a nice Georgetown restaurant on M Street, just a short distance from Josh's place. Throughout the evening they managed to drop the issue of her father's health realizing that they just weren't going to agree on it, and concentrated on enjoyed their evening and getting to know one another even more. They left the restaurant holding hands and returned to Josh's place on foot at a slow even pace. Upon their return Ellie returned to Baltimore and Josh to the paper work he been working on when she'd first arrived, without them ending up in bed. It was late and despite the fact that her first class wasn't until ten o'clock, Ellie had some work she wanted to go over before bed, because she had already agreed to meet some of her friends for breakfast the following morning. As for Josh, he had an early morning meeting he wanted to be well rested for the next day. So no sexual activity had been initiated on either of their parts, but they did engage in some heavy duty necking before she left his apartment.

WW 

Josh sat at his desk, talking on the phone with Mike Collins, the Chief of Staff for Senator Jack Stevens of Indiana. The Senator was playing hard ball with the President's farming agenda so Leo had put Josh on the case, hoping Josh's powers of persuasion could bring the man over to the President's side of things. Josh had been trying for days to try and get Stevens into the White House for a meeting, but the Senator's staff was managing quite easily to keep Josh at bay. The previous day alone, Josh had sat in the Senator's reception room for over an hour before finally leaving.

He was giving it on last ditch effort before he would be forced to have the Senator summonsed to the White House by the President himself as he'd threatened he do if the man hadn't arrived for his scheduled meeting that morning. He hadn't of course, so Josh was hoping to convince Collins into getting his boss over to the White House ASAP, more out of respect for Collins than for the Senator, as Mike Collins had been on Josh's staff when he'd been Senator Brennan's Chief of Staff.

He was feeling like nothing would make him feel better than to slam the phone's receiver back into it's cradle when Josh noticed CJ poke her head into the room. He nodded for her to come in while holding up his index finger for the universal sign that he'd only be a minute longer.

"Listen, Mike, if Senator Stevens isn't in the Blue room in half an hour, tell him to expect a phone call from the President." With that he hung the phone up without another word.

"Farming?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, Stevens won't listen."

"He does have constituents he has to answer to." CJ played devil's advocate.

"Yeah, well he's a democrat, CJ. He should at least be listening to what the leader of his party has to say on the subject."

"Okay."

"What brings you by?"

"Roger Lowe."

"Of the Post?" Josh frowned as he asked.

"Yeah, he cornered me after this morning's briefing. Says the entertainment editor has a picture of you and Ellie Bartlet leaving a rather nice restaurant last night."

"Yeah?" Josh questioned.

"You were holding hands." CJ explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah. They plan to run it tomorrow in the Out and About Section, they're asking if the White House has a comment?"

"Kay, feed them our prepared statement."

"Anything you want to add to it now?"

"No."

"Should we warn the President?"

"I'll let him know."

"Okay. So how are thing going?"

"With Ellie?"

"Yeah."

"Good. She's sweet and it's nice to spend time with someone who isn't bombarding me with work related questions all the time."

"I can imagine. Well, I have work to do." CJ got up and left the room leaving Josh alone with his thoughts.

He'd have to speak to the President today or it would be too late, but first he had to tell Ellie. She wasn't going to be happy about this at all. He decided not to delay the inevitable and picked up his phone once again.

"Hello?" Ellie answered on the fifth ring.

"Hi."

"Hi, Josh. Everything okay?"

He knew she was referring to the MS issue so he answered, "Yeah, something's come up though."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"The Post is running a picture of us tomorrow."

"A picture, how…?"

"One of their photographers probably just got lucky, maybe eating at the same restaurant as us."

"Josh." She sounded scared.

"I know, but there's noting we can do." 

"Can't my dad stop it?"

"Ellie, we live in a free society."

"I know, just wishful thinking. So they run our picture. Hopefully no one even notices."

"Let's hope, but I just wanted you to know that CJ is going to confirm we're dating."

"What? Josh, no!"

"It's better if we make a comment, Ellie. It let's us control the story, what little there is."

"What is it with you guys and controlling a story?"

Josh closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew Ellie wasn't going to grasp the concept in the next few minutes especially when she was upset and scared. He didn't blame her, she despised the spotlight and she'd been born into her life's station, she hadn't chosen it. For the rest of her life she would be referred to as President Bartlet's daughter.

"Ellie, listen, it's just a short statement confirming we're seeing one another, that your parents know about us, and we'd all appreciate it if the press left us alone. You're father already has set boundaries concerning you and your sister's and the press, now he's just sort of including me into the fold when it comes to you."

He heard her sigh on the other end of the phone; he'd hit a nerve. She didn't want the press camped outside his brownstone anymore than he did. Her father would hope the statement would help, well, he would once he knew about the statement.

"It'll be okay, I promise. It's just a small statement. There'll be nothing in it stating how long we've been dating, or how many times we've had sex, or how many times we've called each other's name out during sex, nothing like that." He smiled as she told her.

"You're teasing me again."

"Because it makes you smile."

"Okay, but I don't like it."

"I thought you smiled because you do like it."

"Not your teasing, the picture and the statement."

"Me too, trust me, after Rosslyn, I don't care if my picture and name ever appear in the news again."

At that comment Ellie became too quiet for too long.

"You okay?" Josh asked.

"Yeah." She answered. She'd been taken off guard by the comment. She remembered those days all too well. She'd actually been quilty of running to the cigar shop on a daily basis to buy the paper wondering what would be written up on Josh that day.

The press had not only been writing daily updates on his conditions, but they'd taken to writing background stories on him as well. Things like where he'd been born, what schools he'd attended, she'd learned he'd been on his elementary school student council.

The press had gone to great pains to not only inform the public that he'd graduated from Harvard but Yale Law as well. They'd unearthed his marks and had interviewed many of his professors. Turned out he was a well-liked student with well-disciplined study habits.

They'd shown pictures of his childhood home, pictures of his parents, reporting on the death of his father the night of the Illinois primaries and had somehow found out that her father had offered to accompany Josh back home to the funeral.

Ellie had soaked up all the information from the papers, but had been slapped back into reality when one television crew had footage of Josh's mother arriving at the hospital after the shooting. Sam Seaborn was at her side he had one arm around her and was holding the other in front of her face, shielding her. Reporters were yelling out questions, and Sam had replied for her saying, "Mrs. Lyman has no comment."

That was all it had taken to remind her that the story was invading Josh's privacy. CJ Gregg had read a prepared statement at her next briefing saying the President was urging the press to leave the Lyman's alone during their ordeal, giving Josh every opportunity to heal peacefully. She'd been proud of her father that day and ashamed of herself for falling into the trap of hungry public. The statement had worked, the press went back to reporting updates on Josh's condition only, and nothing on his personal life.

So possibly, a statement from the White House would work now as well.

"I've gotta run." Josh said.

"Okay. Have a good day."

"You, too, bye." He hung up the phone. "Donna!" he hollered towards his doorway.

"Yeah?" His assistant poked her head into the doorway while her body hugged the frame.

"Can you find me ten minutes with the President please."

"I'll try."

"Donna, I need the time!" his tone belied his urgency.

"Will do. Should I say what it's about?"

"Yeah, Senator Stevens."

Donna disappeared and Josh turned himself to his right to face his computer resting on his second desk in order to catch up on his emails. Half an hour later he'd finished his task and decided to research MS on the net. He was kicking himself now for not having picked Ellie's brain on the condition the previous evening at dinner.

"Josh." Donna entered the room.

"Hmm?"

"Charlie says the President has some free time right now."

"Kay, thanks, Donna." Josh said while getting to his feet and slipping on the suit jacket he'd discarded hours before.

"You can go right in, Josh." Charlie said when Josh reached the outer room of the Oval.

"Thanks." Josh nodded at Charlie before walking into the presidential office.

"Josh, come in." The President responded as he pulled himself into a sitting position from a lying one on one of the two sofas in the room.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I can come back."

"No, no, it's fine. What's the problem with Stevens?"

Josh sat on the sofa opposite from the President; "He won't talk to me."

Jed just stared at the deputy. It wasn't often people managed to stone wall Josh, or more likely, it wasn't often Josh couldn't break through the wall.

"I see."

"I told his Chief of Staff to expect a summons for the Senator to be at the White House at ten."

"Okay." Jed rose to his feet, went to his desk, and pushed the intercom, "Mrs. Landingham?"

"Yes, Mr. President?" The elderly woman's voice boomed into the room.

"Get Senator Stevens on the phone."

"Yes, Sir."

Josh and Jed sat in silence while waiting, finally the President's secretary announced; "The Senator is on line three, Mr. President.

"Jack." Jed barked into the speakerphone.

"Yes, Mr. President." The Senator replied.

"Why are you stone walling Josh Lyman?" Jed asked not beating around the bush.

"Mr. President, I don't have time for Josh right now."

"That's too bad, Jack, Josh is working under my orders. If he wants to talk to you, you talk to him."

"Mr. President…"

Jed cut the man off in mid sentence, "Be here in one hour, Jack. And I don't want to hear that Josh is having anymore problems from you or your staff. He's the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and he'll be treated as such!"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good afternoon, Jack, it's always a pleasure speaking with you." Jed disconnected the line before the man could reply.

"Thank-you, Mr. President." Josh spoke.

"Not a problem. Gives me an excuse to blow off some of the stress."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I have something else."

"Let's have it." Jed said taking the seat opposite his deputy again.

"The Washington Post is going to run a picture of Ellie and myself in tomorrow's edition."

Jed breathed in a large amount of air and slumped against the back of the sofa, "Does Ellie know?"

"I told her earlier."

"She upset?"

"She's not happy, but I think the problem isn't so much the picture as the statement."

"Statement? From the White House?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Why are we commenting?" The President asked. Not because he didn't trust Josh's judgement, more so he would be in the loop.

"Their White House correspondent cornered CJ and told her about the picture, asked if the White House wished to comment."

"So, instead of ignoring or denying it, we control the story." Jed said.

"Yes, Sir."

"What's the comment?"

"Yes, Ellie and I are seeing one another, Yes, you and the First Lady know and approve, and all the afore mentioned would appreciate it if the press would leave the couple alone."

"Good, nice work, CJ's?"

"We collaborated." Josh smiled.

"Ah, teamwork." The President nodded, "so, how are things going, Josh?"

Josh looked at the man who now wasn't only his boss, but his girlfriend's father, "doing fine."

"You're treating her well?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You took her to a nice restaurant last night?"

"Yes, Sir. She especially deserved it last night?"

"Why is that?"

Josh took a moment before answering; "we sort of had a little disagreement."

"Really?"

"Yes, I told her my opinion about your MS."

"The opinion that I should divulge this information to the American public?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And you two don't agree, meaning my daughter doesn't hold your opinion."

"Correct, but not only does she not agree with me, she vehemently upheld your right to privacy."

"Ellie did?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll be."

"I still believe you're both wrong."

"So you've made clear. Now is not the time, Josh. We'll have plenty of time once the rest of the senior staff is told. Right now, I have a meeting with the Ambassador of France."

"Yes, Sir." With that Josh was on his feet and out the door, not realizing that he'd left a very astonished, yet happy father behind, as he'd confirmed to Jed that his daughter had at least once in her life come to his defense.

WW 

The following morning at eight thirty Josh had been sitting at his desk for hours trying not to worry about his meeting with Oliver Babish. He knew he had nothing to worry about for himself, as he'd done nothing wrong. He hadn't known about the President's illness and there fore couldn't be accused of hiding anything. But he was worried, for the President. Josh truly had no idea where this was going to lead, but a grade jury wasn't out of the question and at the very least a full congressional hearing. Needless to say, he saw subpoenas in all of their futures.

A heard more than seen a movement just outside his office and decided a coffee was in order. Not that he hadn't already drunk at least three cups, but he really felt a need for a lot of caffeine this morning. Walking out his doorway he noticed Donna for the first time, she must have arrived earlier, he'd just been too busy to notice. He poured himself and cup of java and asked her to come into his office while returning there. Once they were both inside, he seated and she standing in front of his desk he asked, "Have you seen this morning's paper?" He realized as he asked his assistant this that he himself hadn't looked at it.

"No."

"Kay, you may receive some phone calls from reporters today, just refer them to CJ's morning press briefing."

"Sure, anything wrong?" Donna asked a little worriedly.

"Nope."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be meeting with Oliver Babish today. Don't forward any of my calls unless it's Leo or the president."

"Okay, are you sure there's nothing wrong? Did you do something wrong?" Donna asked again, he noted her worry once again.

"I'm fine, everything's fine."

At that moment the phone sitting on his desk rang, before he could answer it, Donna had, "Josh Lyman's office."

She lowered the phone placing it against her chest; "It's CJ."

"I'll take it."

Donna passed the phone over to her boss, but remained in her spot.

"Morning." Josh said into the phone.

"What?" his voice didn't sound pleased.

"Donna, turn my TV to ABC." He said while pointing to the small thirteen inch TV sitting in his office, currently tuned to ZNN.

Donna knowing that CJ's was obviously brining Josh's attention to something, and by the sound of his voice, Josh didn't like whatever it was.

Donna just stared at the television as Matt Lauer, of the Today Show interviewed a young Hollywood actress. "So you're tired of horror films then?" he asked.

"Absolutely," the starlet responded.

"What would you like to do instead?" 

"A romantic comedy."

"Any in particular?"

"Not exactly, but if someone wanted to produce or direct a movie on the Bartlet family, I'd love to play Eleanor."

"Oh no." Josh spoke out loud.

"She has been making the news lately, hasn't she," Matt smiled at the bimbo.

Josh placed his free hand on his forehead and began to rub it across it. Donna watched his reaction before turning her attention back to the TV.

"Some juicy stuff, too." The D cup woman jiggled with excitement.

Matt replied, "Some viewers may not realize that the President's daughter, Eleanor Bartlet is in the new again this morning." He continued, "I can't really say for sure, but there's already speculation that the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, may be aligning himself with the President's daughter for political gain."

On the other end of the phone CJ managed to say, "Oh my god."

Josh once again heard the Bimbo on TV, "What ever the reason, Eleanor Bartlet is one lucky girl. Josh Lyman is cute and powerful."

"Always a turn on for the female persuasion." Matt Lauer grinned, then continued his commentary, "Jenna Corelson, always a pleasure to have you on the show, please come again."

"Will do, Matt. Thank-you for having me."

The Today Show was quickly replaced by a bunch of commercials that Josh quickly tuned out. "CJ! What the hell…."

"I don't know, Josh. I'll handle it at my briefing, plus I'll make some phone calls." She quickly hung up the phone.

Josh slammed the phone down onto it cradle as he stood up, "Get me a copy of the post!" he roared at Donna before started to pace the floor like a caged animal.

Donna hurried from the room, heading straight for the pile of newspapers sitting on top of the filing cabinet. Grabbing the post and returned to her boss's office.

"What's going on, Josh?" she asked as he handed him the paper.

"I don't have time to explain." He replied as he quickly opened the paper to the Out and About page in the Entertainment section, surprised when he didn't find the picture of himself and Ellie. "Shit."

"Josh?"

Josh looked up at Donna, "I need to get to my meeting, Donna. Remember, phone calls from the press refer them to CJ's briefing, only Leo and the President get through to me while I'm with Babish."

"Okay. Are you okay?"

Josh stopped pacing and looked at her before closing his eyes and sighing, when he opened them again, Donna continued to stand there staring at him, "I'll have to be for now. I've gotta get going." He replied in a much calmer voice as he took his suit jacket from the back of his chair and put it on.

He looked down at the Post once again and it hit him. If the picture was being talked about on the Today Show, it was a more prominent story than Out and About. He flipped to the front page and was relieved to see no picture. He quickly flipped again and once aging, finding the rather large picture on the fourth page, above it ran the headline: WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL LOOKING TO GAIN?

Josh's mood went from mildly perturbed to irate in a breath. He couldn't believe it. He quickly scanned the small story accompanying the photograph. Not a whole lot there, a little background on who exactly Josh was, his position at the White House, and a brief line about his being shot a Roslyn. It recapped Ellie's recent foyer into the spotlight by retelling her still recent Surgeon General quote. The only piece of information that was new to Josh was the article had stated Ellie was twenty-four, until now he could only speculate that she was in her mid-twenties.

He stood staring at the paper for a few minutes before finally leaving his office. He stopped at the coffee maker and made himself a fresh cup to take to Oliver's office. He headed however, straight to CJ's office.

"She want's to play Ellie?" he commented as he walked into the room.

"Is she even your type?" CJ asked.

"Funny."

"I thought so, don't worry, Josh. I'm sure to be questioned on this at my briefing, we already have our statement."

"Which didn't make the article, did you see it?"

"Yeah. I'll stress the part about leaving you two alone at the briefing."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

"Ellie?"

"Yeah."

"You don't think she'll believe that garbage do you?" CJ asked.

"I honestly don't know."

"Have you given her any reason to?"

"I don't think so."

"She's a smart woman, Josh. Don't worry about it. Have you spoken to her yet today?"

"No. I need to meet with Oliver Babish in," he looked at his watch, "five minutes. I'll call her later."

"Good, just reassure her that the story is garbage, she'll be okay."

"I hope so. The President will have my hide otherwise."

CJ's only response was a huge smile.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"Could be entertaining."

"I'm outta here."

"Is everything okay. Why the meeting with Babish?" CJ asked.

Josh turned to look at her, "I can't say."

"Okay."

WW 

Eleanor Bartlet woke up late, something she rarely allowed herself. Usually she was waking up to get to an early morning class, the library, the lab, or the gym. Today, she slept in, knowing she was going to meet four of her friends for breakfast. Getting out of bed and making quick use of the shared showering facility, she was ready for her day, buying herself a paper in the cigar shop before going to the cafeteria.

There she met her girlfriends, Sheila, Kerry, Tammy, and Denise, before grabbing a fruit salad out of the self serve cafeteria style fridge. She added a muffin, a small individual box of cereal, an apple juice, and a coffee to her tray before paying at the cash registrar.

The five girls found a round table and were quickly going about eating their breakfast when Kerry finally spoke, "So, when were you going to tell us?" She looked at Ellie.

Ellie looked up form her fruit salad to find four sets of eyes staring at her. "Tell you what?"

"About the sexy new man in your life?" Tammy asked.

"Oh, you saw the picture." Ellie said.

"Picture?" Sheila frowned.

"What picture?" Denise asked.

"In the Post. They're running one…wait, how do you guys know then?" Ellie didn't like this at all.

"It was mentioned on the Today Show." Tammy explained.

"A few times." Kerry added.

"What?"

"Yeah, it was in all their news segments this morning, plus Jenna Corelson mentioned it." Sheila piped up.

"Jenna Cor…the actress?" Ellie question.

"Yeah." All four girls answered.

"Josh Lyman!" Tammy squealed.

"He's hot!" Denise followed.

"Guys, would you please stop." Ellie asked.

"That's why you were so interested in his interview on Meet The Press, you were holding out on me, Ellie." Sheila smiled at her friend.

"Is that the Post?" Kerry asked pointing to the folded newspaper on Ellie's tray.

"Yeah." Ellie answered.

"Oh good, let's find the picture." Denise grabbed the paper.

"It's in the Entertainment Section," Ellie added before popping a grape into her mouth.

"I don't see it." Denise frowned.

"Ellie frowned herself saying, "Josh called me yesterday, he said it would be in today's post, on the Out and About page."

"Well it's not." Denise shook her head back and forth.

Kerry took the paper from her friend's hand; "Maybe he was confused on the area. Maybe it's in Entertainment but not in Out and About." She mentioned as she began flipping through the Entertainment section.

"Hmm, I found it." Tammy said cautiously.

"Great let's see." Sheila grabbed the paper.

"What's wrong?" Ellie continued to stare at Tammy.

Who shrugged her shoulders replying, "Nothing, I'm sure I over-reacted."

Sheila quickly began folding the paper, "Yeah, you guys looked great. You went to a movie?" Sheila smiled.

"Sheila, let me have it." Ellie put her hand out waiting for the paper to be placed in it.

"Ellie, really…" Sheila didn't finish her statement.

"Give it to me!" Ellie said sternly.

Sheila reluctantly slid the paper across the table to her friend.

Ellie was surprised to find the front section of the paper being passed to her.

"Page three." Sheila told her in a low voice.

Ellie unfolded the paper as her friends glanced wearily at each other, a look of sympathy coming across their faces when they heard their friend's gasp.

The first thing Ellie noticed was she and Josh were holding hands, walking out of a movie theatre. Thinking to herself no wonder Josh felt it necessary to give her a heads up, as there was little chance of the White House or herself to claim they were just friends. But her eyes were quickly captured by the fact that there was a small story with a rather huge headline, a very unflattering headline about Josh and his motives regarding their budding relationship. She quickly skimmed the story, seeing words like, angling, gearing up, political future, President's backing, political office, and finally, no one better than the President's daughter. She stopped and looked up at her friends.

"I don't believe this."


	4. Chapter 4

Next Step4 

Jed Bartlet was feeling worn out. The last week had been an emotional one; Leo insisting he tell Toby about his MS had started it all. Toby was angry with him, there were no other words to describe his Head Speechwriter's reaction. Some how, Toby's anger had been easier to take than Josh's pain. At first, Leo's Deputy, reacted the same way he reacts to all surprising news, he laughed. Not a "hey that's funny" laugh, but his nervous "you're kidding, right?" laugh. Then he'd gotten quiet and upon his recovery, most of his questions revolved around the disease it's self and how Jed was faring? It's how Jed had hoped Toby would re-act to the situation, but he should have known better, Toby's world was black and white, with little leeway for mistakes. By comparison, Josh was an emotional beast, sometimes so much so that Leo had to reign him in. Now, days after telling him, Jed wished Josh too had reacted in anger, because the hurt he'd seen on Josh's face had been difficult and painful.

From the beginning, when Leo had brought Josh into the campaign, Jed had felt an affinity towards the younger man. He liked Joshua Lyman on all levels, not just politically. Sure, the younger man proved to act too quickly sometimes, but that was his emotional passionate side. Jed often imagined Josh read comic books as a young boy, as the younger man whole heartedly believed in good versus evil, and also believed good should always prevail. The bond he felt for Josh only grew as he saw him in action. The man had a political mind like no other, with the exception of Leo perhaps. Then they found themselves in the White House and Josh had more connections than possibly himself or Leo; and more importantly, Josh knew how to use those connections, he knew how to wheel and deal. Jed had taken to calling him Monty very early on when he couldn't remember their names, though only to himself, in reference to the host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal. More importantly though, Josh understood how government really and truly worked and not just at its base level. He understood how Washington worked. Jed knew he had a gem in his Deputy Chief of Staff. The hardest thing he'd ever had to do was tell Leo to fire Josh over the Mary Marsh debacle. Thankfully, Leo had ignored him long enough for Jed to return to Washington and realize he himself had reacted too quickly based on his own emotions. Although Josh's comment to Mary on live television had been an embarrassment to the administration, a firing really hadn't been warranted. Josh eventually apologized to Mary and her cronies only to have her try and get political leverage out of it, and Josh had been willing to give it to her. Thankfully, Toby hadn't.

Then came Roslyn. There wasn't much to say about Roslyn other than to say that now, a year and a half later; he could look back and say how thankful he was that no one on his staff had been killed. Josh had paid a high price though, and Jed would never forget it.

Slowly over time, Jed had come to think of Josh more and more like the son he and Abby had never been blessed with. He liked the man and now the man on his mind was dating his daughter, and he'd just hurt Josh as surely as his middle daughter was now hurting over today's media splash. What a mess, he was thinking to himself when a soft knocking sounded on the door.

"Come in." he said.

"Mr. President, Josh Lyman is here." One of the resident butlers announced.

"Thank-you, Anders, show him in."

"Yes, sir."

Jed was surprised to see Josh looking tired and beaten; he shouldn't have been though, as sitting with Oliver Babish all day could wear anyone down. The disclosure of Jed's MS was proving to be very emotional for all those involved and not everyone was even involved yet. He knew Josh could handle himself, but Jed felt a need to protect the young man from the upcoming months of scrutiny sure to come his way, but knew he couldn't.

"Good evening, sir." Josh said as he entered the room.

"Evening, Josh. How'd it go today?" Jed inquired.

Josh stood behind a chair and started tracing the outline of the chintz pattern while placing his other hand on his hip. "I don't really know. Okay I guess."

"Come have a drink with me." The president got out of his chair.

"No, that's okay, sir."

"I insist, sit." Jed motioned to the chair Josh's hand still caressed as the president moved to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room. He returned a short time later handing a now seated Josh a tumbler containing an amber liquid. While sitting back down Jed looked at Josh who was looking at the glass and swirling its contents around and around, producing a jingling sound as the ice hit the sides of the glass.

"What's on your mind, Josh? Are you here to yell at me?" Jed asked, almost hoping that was the reason for the man's visit but knowing it wasn't.

Josh looked up at the president, "Actually, I was wondering if you've heard from Ellie, sir?"

"No, you haven't?"

"No, I didn't really understand the scope of today's news until minutes before my meeting with Oliver. I figured I'd call her once he and I were done, and…well, I didn't realize I'd be all day."

"I see, Ellie hasn't called you?"

"Yes. She called my cell twice, but didn't leave a message either time…"

"You didn't take her call?" Jed interrupted.

"No. I turned my phone off during the meeting, she called the office once, Donna says she didn't leave a message then either."

"And Donna didn't message you?" Jed asked thinking it unlike Josh's loyal assistant.

"I told her only you or Leo were to interrupt the meeting, sir."

"Oh."

"Before you ask, the minute I walked out of Oliver's office I called Ellie's cell, it went straight to her voice mail. I was just wondering if there was any other way I could get a hold of her?"

"I have her email address somewhere, but I don't know where exactly. She's suppose to have her cell phone on at all times that's mandatory; all the girls know that. When she's in class, we can always call the dean, but she's not in class right now as far as I know. We could always check in Leo's office." Jed said. Josh knew he was referring to the piece of equipment in the Chief of Staff's office that kept track of where all the members of the first family were at any given time.

"We could always call Ron and have him reach Ellie's agents."

"No, no, that's not necessary. I was just hoping to talk to her." Josh answered

"Things around here are a bit of a mess aren't they?" The president asked knowing Josh would pick up on the plural, meaning not just the latest news story about he and Ellie.

"Yes, sir, they are."

Jed sighed and leaned back in his chair while taking a slug from his drink.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?"

"Josh!"

"I'm just thinking…" 

"I know what your thinking and you're not my medical provider, don't start questioning me on these sorts of matters."

"Yes, sir." Josh replied before drinking from his own glass.

"Why is her phone turned off? If she's being bombarded by reporters, I swear to God, Josh."

"I know. I'm sure that's not it." Josh could hear the fear in the president's voice, "reporters know the rules."

"Most do, not all." Jed replied.

At that moment Josh stood, "I really should get going. I need to return my missed phone calls from today."

Jed stopped the younger man for a brief moment when he advised, "Josh, take it from an old married man, leave work alone for the rest of the day and get a hold of my daughter."

"Yes, sir."

WW 

After finishing breakfast with her friends that morning, Ellie skipped her classes and headed to the library, hoping to accomplish some work there. She didn't particularly want to go to her classes with her classmate's whispers and hesitant glances in her direction. The library however hadn't proved to be much of an escape as most people on the medical campus recognized her. She then decided to pack her bags and headed to her room where she stayed until close to two in the afternoon when a knock sounded on her door.

She silently hoped to find Josh on the other side of the door. She'd called him twice on his cell phone only to be immediately directed to his voice mail. She couldn't stomach leaving a message so opted to call his office. His assistant, Donna Moss, answered and explained Josh was in a meeting however Donna asked her if she wished to leave a message. Ellie knew she couldn't leave a message with Donna. At the moment she didn't trust anyone concerning her personal life, even Donna who she knew Josh trusted explicitly. This was between herself and Josh and she wanted it kept that way for the time being.

Now, hours after seeing the newspaper and hearing that all the earlier morning magazine style shows were broadcasting unflattering details about her dating life, she just found herself longing to see Josh, to talk to him. She wanted nothing more than for him to tell her today's media blitz had been wrong. She wanted him to apologize about the circus her day would no doubt have become if she'd remained in class, but mostly, she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and just hold her. Letting her pull from his strength. She needed that more than anything, instead she got her mother.

Astonishing her self, she flew into Abby's arms the minute the First Lady stepped forward. Ellie let the tears she'd been suppressing all day flow freely. Her mother held her to her breast and murmured softly to her that everything would be okay as she moved them deeper into the dorm room. Millicent Griffith slowly entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She stood rooted to the spot and watched the mother and daughter scene before her. Her heart ached for her goddaughter who was obviously hurting.

When the two seperated, Abby smoothed Ellie's hair back, placing the side strands of hair behind her daughter's ears before wiping away the remnants of a tear continuing to fall down Ellie's cheek. Abby noticed her daughter looked tired and pale. She was also pretty sure Ellie hadn't had much to eat and decided her plan to come and rescue her daughter had been the right idea. When she'd called Millie asking if she could come along, her best friend assured her she'd like nothing more than to spend a few hours with her and Ellie shopping and then grabbing a bite to eat.

"Have you eaten today?" Abby asked.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Fruit, cereal, and stuff."

"When was that?" Abby asked as she looked towards Millicent.

"This morning." Ellie replied in a soft voice.

"Have you been to any of your classes?"

Ellie looked at her mother and shook her head no.

"Ellie, you can't run and hide when these things happen. You have to continue to go about your business with your head held high."

"I couldn't, mom. Not today, it hurts too much."

"What hurts?" Abby asked confused by her daughter's statement. Not wanting to find yourself in the media only to be front and center wasn't exactly a reason to hurt.

Ellie sighed, "I don't know. Not knowing I guess."

"Not knowing what?"

"If any of it is true. I mean dad told me himself that Josh is a politician at heart. What if what they're saying is true? I don't think I could take it, mom. Maybe it's better not knowing."

"Ellie!"

The younger woman stopped rambling and looked at her mother.

"Are you telling me that you haven't spoken to Josh today?"

"No."

"He didn't call?"

"No."

"Did you call him?"

Ellie nodded her head yes, "Three times."

"He didn't take your calls?"

"No."

Abby closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "Okay, let's get you cleaned up and then we're going shopping." She smiled at her daughter when she opened her eyes.

The trio of women soon strolled through high end boutiques, trying on dresses, pant suits, jewelry, hats, and in Ellie's case a couple pairs of jeans and some pajama's.

After hours of shops and even a few galleries, the women were seated at a restaurant for an early dinner; Abby having made the suggestion based on Ellie's lack of sustenance during the day.

Having been seated and having ordered their meals, the three were each now sipping a glass of white wine, Millie asked, "So, is the story that you're dating Josh at least true?"

Ellie looked at her godmother and realized the woman had remained quiet on the subject of Josh Lyman all afternoon, "Yes," she answered.

"Oh." Millie looked towards Abby.

Abby, sensing her best friends unspoken question added, "Isn't that nice?"

Millie looked back to Ellie when she answered, "Yes, it is. I like Josh."

"You do?"

The US Surgeon General smiled at the younger woman, "Don't look so surprised, Ellie, why wouldn't I like him?"

"Well, he did ask for your resignation."

"He was just doing his job, Ell." The woman replied.

"How do you know you like him? It's not like you know him personally or work closely with him, right?"

"Right. We have eaten together though."

"You have?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, but don't worry it was nothing personal. We were seated at the same table during a State Dinner once. Your dad's first I believe. I remember finding Josh engaging, intelligent and funny. I liked him. Since then we've had a few conversations and have attended some of the same events around town." Millicent shrugged.

"There we are ladies." The waiter approached the table and placed a dish in front of both the first lady and Ellie. Another waiter soon followed with Millicent's plate and placed it in front of her. After the waiters retreat, the conversation continued.

"How long have you been seeing each other?" Millie asked Ellie.

"Not long."

"Were you dating when Josh came to see me?"

"No." Ellie shook her head.

"That's pretty fresh." Millie commented.

"Very." Abby piped up.

"I just don't understand why I haven't heard from him." Ellie said for about the forth time since getting together with her mother and godmother. Each time she said it tears sprang to her eyes, this time was no different.

"I'm sure there's a reason." Abby reached over and placed her hand on top of her daughter's, giving it a squeeze. "He probably just got caught up in his work."

Ellie looked doubtfully at her mother, but didn't say anything.

"Your mother's right. He's a busy guy, he's probably been fully absorbed in something and lost track of the time to boot. He really does need to slow down some." Millie said.

Both Bartlet women looked to their companion, "What do you mean?" Ellie asked.

"His blood pressure's a little high, he's still feeling some of the physical affects of being shot, and his work hours are abnormally long. I won't even get into his diet."

After a moment of being stared at, Millie asked, "What?"

"How do you know all that?" Abby asked.

"I asked him."

"You asked him? A man shows up at your office to fire you and you ask about his health?" Abby chuckled.

"It's my job, Abby, not to mention a habit." Millie defended herself.

"What affects?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, he experiences stiffness in his arm and leg, his back bothers him."

"Really?"

"Yes, as you probably should know, that's all normal, except his blood pressure, but I'm sure his doctor's keeping a close eye on it." Millie hoped to re-assure the young medical student.

The trio set about eating once more but it wasn't long before Ellie broke the silence. "Do you think he's still affected emotionally?"

Abby put her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Yes." She responded.

"Are you sure?" Ellie replied.

"Positive. Your father still has the odd nightmare, I don't see why Josh would be any different." Abby confessed.

"Dad has nightmares?"

"Of course. It was a pretty frightening experience, one that doesn't just go away. Fortunately, your father doesn't suffer from physical affects any longer, but if he's still suffering emotionally, you can count on it still affecting Josh."

Before long, the women were finished for the night and Ellie was squared away in her dorm room while the First Lady and the Surgeon General were being driven back to Washington in a black SUV.

"Do you know something about Josh you weren't sharing?" Milled asked her friend.

Abby looked at her best friend and sighed, "I didn't feel it was my place to tell her."

"Tell her what?"

"Josh suffers from PTSD."

"I see, that's not exactly surprising after what he went through."

"No, but I still don't think it was my place."

"Is he okay?"

"I think so."

"Did he have a break down?" Millie asked, sensing there was more to the story.

"In the Oval Office." Abby confirmed.

"You're kidding? Was Jed present?"

"Oh, yes. Josh was in his face and Jed was ready to fire him on the spot. Leo intervened. Once Jed knew what was going on he felt terrible for even having considered firing him. Instead, they got him help."

"When was this?"

"Around Christmas."

"Wow, Josh held it together for a long period of time? That's a long time afterward? Who helped?"

"Stanley Keyworth."

"He's good."

"Yes, he is. I'm pretty sure though that Josh still must be dealing with demons as a result of the shooting. I know Jed is."

"Does Jed have remorse?"

"Yeah. Something along the lines of survivor's guilt, he's still horrified that Josh nearly lost his life. Millie, I swear to you, Jed sees Josh as the son we never had."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So he must be pleased that he and Ellie are seeing one another?"

"Truthfully, I'm not sure. I think he's a little worried about what to do if things don't work out between them."

"What about you? You like Josh don't you?"

"Yes, my worry lies with Josh though. He's got a strong personality and constitution, what if Ellie gets lost in all that?"

"She can stand up for herself. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I hope so."

As the truck pulled into her driveway, Millie said. "I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah."

"You and Jed should come over for dinner some night soon. It's been a while."

"Sounds great. I think Jed could use a night away from the White House."

"Is tomorrow too soon?"

"I'll get back to you."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Night."

WW 

The twenty-minute drive from Millicent's home to the White House, Abby rode in contemplation. Her thoughts mostly centered on her daughter and the pain she'd witnessed on Ellie's face when she'd first opened her dorm room door. At first Abby thought it was just the pain of the news stories themselves, but had quickly changed her mind when Ellie explained that she hadn't heard from Josh all day. She was positive that her daughter had been hoping to see Josh when she'd opened the door and suffered a further broken heart when she saw Millie and herself standing there.

Making the trek up to the residence Abby was becoming angrier and angrier at the whole situation. When she entered the den and found her husband sitting quietly reading some papers, she slammed her purse down onto a table and began her tirade.

"What the hell kind of Jackass's do you hire exactly!" She demanded. "I mean honestly, Jed, how hard is it to pick up a phone these days? Hell, they don't even need to be plugged into a wall anymore, or even plastered to the side of your head; therefore you can walk around doing things while you talk! You don't even need to dial the entire number for crying out loud, we have something called speed dial these days! How hard is that? Well, come to think of it, I am speaking about a man who has an assistant put through all his calls, am I not?"

"Why, yes, Abby, I had a nice day and yourself?" Jed answered.

"All it would have taken was a simple phone call. Just a quick hello sweetheart, don't believe all the horrible things their saying about me. Of course I care about you and am interested in you for you, you, not you the first daughter. But, noooo, that's apparently too difficult for a Harvard graduate these days!"

"Abby."

"What?"

"If you'd stay quiet long enough, I could answer your questions."

"I don't think I'm willing to accept your standard answer of Josh was busy. He had important meetings that no one else could take. Honestly, Jed, it would have only taken a minute or two for him to spare our daughter her broken heart."

"Abby, the fact of the matter is, Josh was stuck in an appointment today. An appointment that no one else but he could take."

"Jed!"

"Abigail! Don't! Don't you dare start belittling my staff, I won't have it."

"You won't have it! What about your daughter's broken heart, will you have it?"

"The truth is, Josh spent the entire day more than likely defending me. Not that I truly believe I deserve it, but I'm certain that's what he did. So if you and Ellie don't like it, well that's not my problem. My problem is how much more can I put that young man through on my account?"

"Jed, what on earth are you babbling about? Why was Josh defending you to begin with and to whom?"

Jed let out a huge sigh, "Oliver Babish. Josh spent the day answering questions in Oliver's office."

"Why? What did he do now?"

"Nothing, Abby. Josh did nothing wrong. He was being questioned about what he knew, or knows about my MS."

"Oh."

"Oh. Oh is right. While our daughter decided to play the victim today, her boyfriend was being questioned by the White House council, and not because he did anything wrong, but because we did, Abby. To be honest, if I had the choice, I'd rather have been in Ellie's shoes today, than Josh's."

"We?" Abby asked.

"Yes, we, you and me, we decided to keep my disease a secret. While I still believe I had every legal and medical right to do so, morally I should have at least told my staff."

"What difference would it have made? Perhaps you would have been putting them into a conundrum."

"It may have also altered the course of some of their lives. What if I'd told them and some had decided not to remain with the campaign or the administration? What if Josh opted out? If he had, he never would have been…"

"Jed, stop! You can't change what happened."

"It doesn't change the fact that quite possibly he never would have been at Roslyn that night."

"Maybe, maybe not, and what if he hadn't? What then, maybe Zoey would have been hit instead!" Abby shouted back at her husband.

"Don't, don't you dare…"

"Dare what? Alter events that have already happened! Only you get to play God. Is that it, Jed?"

The president, who had at some point during their heated exchange stood, slowly lowered himself back into his chair. "I'm sorry, Abby." He said softly.

Abby crossed the room and lowered herself onto her husband's lap stroking his hair. "It's been a long day." She said.

"I know Ellie's probably hurting, but I can't change that, only Josh can do that." They remained silent for a moment before Jed continued. "He's hurting too, Abby. If you could have seen him tonight, you'd understand. He looks dejected, hurt, tired, and frustrated. I've done that Abby, not the media, not Ellie, not Leo, no one but me. I've done that to him and I want to take it all back. How much does that young man have to suffer because of me? And yet, he remains loyal. I'd bet my entire presidential salary that he stood up for my rights today, even though personally he believes I'm wrong. Professionally, he'd defend me 'til his dying breath. What have I done to deserve such an allegiance?"

"Jed, don't do this to yourself." Switching gears, Abby asked, "You saw Josh this evening?"

"Yeah, he came up here when Oliver was through with him."

"Here? He came here?" Abby asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

"Yeah, the jackass was wondering if I could help him try and get a hold of our daughter, seems her cell phone is turned off. Can you believe the nerve of that jackass?" Jed asked sarcastically.

"He did?" Abby asked ignoring her husband's sarcasm.

"Our daughters know the rules, Abby."

"Jed, she was with me. You know they're allowed to turn their cell phones off if they're with one of us."

"Okay."

"So he did try and call then."

"As soon as he left Oliver's office."

"In her defense, she called him, too."

"He told Donna that only myself or Leo were to get him out of his meeting."

Again silence filled the room as husband and wife, a father and a mother pondered the latest developments in their life as well as that of their daughter. Again, Jed broke the quite. "Abby, I think you, maybe we should sit Ellie down and explain some things to her."

"Like?"

"Like, if she's determined to date Josh and in doing so have a grown-up relationship, then she's going to need to do some growing up herself."

"Jed!"

"Abby, Josh isn't some college student, or a grocery story clerk, or a garbage collector. He's the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, he has a staff of thousands, he has meetings after meetings all day long and he has major responsibilities that affect an entire nation, sometimes more than one nation. He isn't the simple civil servant she seems to think he is."

"Okay, while I agree with what you're saying, I think it's up to Josh to have that discussion with her, not her parents. If you want her to grow up you have to treat her like she is."

"Point taken."

"Don't forget, Jed, she's still only twenty-four and hasn't had a serious relationship for a few years."

"Okay." Jed nodded. "And never with someone like Josh." He conceded.

"Right. Speaking of relationships, how do you really feel about them?"

"Now there's a loaded question. How do I really feel?"

"I imagine on some level you're really okay with this. You like Josh, admire him even."

"On some level? Pretty much on all levels I'm okay with this. He's a good person and such an improvement over any of the idiots she's dated. Yes, I like him. He has a brilliant mind. He's the future of the party, Abby. That, and only that, concerns me."

"Why?"

"Because our daughter has an aversion to public life. Josh was born a politician. It's not just what he does, it's who he is." Jed remained quiet a moment or two then continued, "As a father I know how and what to do if he royally screws this up, but as the president, that's another matter. I don't think breaking my daughter's heart is sufficient grounds to fire the Deputy Chief of Staff. Not to mention, would I want to lose him over something personal like that?"

"Well, I'm glad I'm not in your shoes." Abby smiled. "Did you see any of the news today?" She asked.

"Only the Post. That article was very unflattering."

"It was a nice picture though." Abby said, hoping to make her husband smile.

"It was. They looked happy."

"The television media used the picture as well. She looked good, content. I sure hope he doesn't break her heart."

"We have no control over that, Abby. I for one am choosing to believe in his ability to pull them through this and keep them on an even keel. Who knows, maybe he's the one for Ellie."

"Jed, they've barely begun dating and you have them headed down the altar already?"

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "It'd be nice to have a son-in-law I could respect, let alone one I like."

"Now, now."

"Is that too much to ask?"

"Doug…"

"Abby, you don't like Doug anymore than I do, so don't harp on me."

WW 

Ellie sat watching her television but not really absorbing the facts on the latest homicide on Law & Order: SVU when a knocking startled her out of her day dreaming. She climbed out of her bed and opened the door, her heart both hurt and jumped for joy at the sight before her. Josh looked about as lousy as she felt.

"Josh." She whispered, right before she launched herself into his arms.

The two stood in her doorway holding each other for a long time before Josh finally spoke up as he gently pushed her body away from his and into her room. "Come on, let's get inside, we're making a spectacle of ourselves out here."

"Right." She replied, but quickly turned away from him as they walked into her room, Josh closing the door behind him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't take your calls today." He said. He saw her back stiffen and knew his long daunting day was about to get even longer and more daunting. "Ellie?"

Ellie folder her arms in front of her chest but didn't turn around when she spoke, "Couldn't take my calls or wouldn't take my calls?" She asked a trace of bitterness spilling into her voice.

"We're not going to play this game are we?" He asked, already losing what little patience he had left with this day.

"What game, Josh?" She turned around and Josh could see she'd been crying. His impatience quickly left, replaced with a burning need to comfort her.

"Ellie…" he stepped forward.

"No," She stepped back and shook her head, "what game are we playing, Josh? The one where you promise me everything will be okay and then ignore me when it comes crumbling down all around us?" A single tear trailed down her cheek that she quickly wiped away.

"Ellie, don't do this." He took another step towards her.

"What exactly?" she asked taking yet another step backward.

Josh took the hint and remained in his place. "Reducing what happened today into a high school drama. I can't handle it today. The problems I'm facing at work are so far beyond high school, I feel like I have one foot in the grave, that's how far beyond high school they are."

"Then tell me! Tell me what was so important today of all days, that you couldn't pick up a phone and take two minutes of your precious time to call me!" Ellie ended her final sentence with so much anger it surprised and sickened her at the same time. Deep down she didn't want to argue with Josh, she knew he was right. Her behavior was childish at best but she was hurting and deathly afraid that this stupid day was going to tear them apart.

Josh's own anger continued to boil. He knew he wasn't angry with Ellie, but she was here and he suddenly needed to vent. "You want to know?" he knew he should try and control his vehemence, but didn't. "I'll tell you. Your lying father! That's what was so important today and will continue to be so for months to come. All day long, Ellie, I sat and defended him; I'm not even exactly sure why I did. Lord knows he didn't deserve my loyalty. Maybe I'm a fool, maybe that's it, I'm being played for the fool that I am!"

"What? Josh?" Ellie asked confused. "Defending my father to who?"

"To whom." He corrected her. "Oliver Babish, that's who!"

"Oliver? I don't understand."

"Well you might wanna get up to speed, Ellie, because your turns coming. Soon enough you'll have to answer all these questions as well."

"What questions? Josh, you're not making any sense."

"I spent the day answering a thousand repeated questions about your father's MS. What did I know? When did I know it? Did I hide the truth? Was I asked to hide the truth? On and on I answered those damn questions, Ellie. Like I'd done something wrong! All I ever did was support your father, and what thanks do I get? A fucking inquisition from the White House Council, that's what I win for my loyalty or should I say my stupidity!"

Ellie sat on the edge of her bed, "Can we start from the beginning, you've lost me. White House Council? Oliver Babish? What does he have to do with my dad's illness?"

"You know Oliver?" Josh asked in a much calmer voice, having picked up on Ellie having calmed down.

"Yeah, he's a family friend. His daughter Pattie and I are friends."

"Did you know your father appointed him the Head of White House Council?"

"No."

"Well, he did, and now he's investigating, for lack of a better word, your father's covering up his illness."

"You're kidding? An investigation?"

"I wish I were. I don't think you truly appreciate the scope of what all of this means, Ellie. This isn't going to end pretty; they'll be a Congressional hearing for sure, probably a grand jury hearing, indictments, we'll all be called to testify this could even go as far as an impeachment."

"Josh, no."

"Yes, Ellie. This is serious stuff." 

"He didn't commit a crime."

"That's just it, Ellie, he just might have. At the moment we don't know. But once this gets out and smart lawyers, very smart lawyers get a hold of it, well, this is very serious."

"What did you mean by we?" Ellie asked.

"All of us, staffers, doctors, you and your sisters, everybody who knew, especially those who knew when he started his bid for the presidency will be called to testify."

"Why us, I mean Zoey, Liz, and I?" Ellie's eyes became as round as saucers.

"Because you knew about his illness, you'll be able to confirm he covered it up, and then there's your mother. That's a whole other ball of wax. She's the one I'm really concerned about."

"Why?"

"Ellie, you're a medical student, do you really have to ask why? She treated him. I'm pretty sure ethically, she's shouldn't have, but more importantly, a smart lawyer will build his case around her and look to see if she's broken any laws."

"Oh my god." Tears once again sprang into Ellie's eyes.

"I'm really starting to hate this administration, it's slowly killing me and it's a painful agonizing death. What have I done to deserve this? In the last year and a half I've been fired, shot, ordered into therapy, and now I'm being questioned by a very smart, very tenacious lawyer, all because your father hid his disease.

Josh lowered himself onto the chair at Ellie's desk. "And now, on a day when my character has come under attack, I was stuck in a fucking ridiculous meeting all day and unable to defend myself. If you thought today was bad, Ellie, just wait. The media is going to be all over the fact that I was invisible today. Rendering them to conclude that I was hiding out from them, not wanting to comment on what they're saying about me. In their minds it's going to mean it's true. I don't know how much more of any of this I can take."

Ellie sat listening to Josh and felt ashamed of her thoughts and actions. What he said was true, it wasn't herself who'd come out of this looking bad in the news, it was Josh. She hadn't given his point of view more than a second's thought all day. She'd been too involved in hearing her name and seeing her face plastered on Tv all day long.

"I'm sorry, Josh" She spoke softly.

Josh looked up at her and ran a hand across his eyes. "Me, too, Ellie. I wish I'd called you before my meeting with Oliver. I had no idea I'd be with him all day though, or that we'd eat lunch through out meeting. I'm sorry."

He got up and sat down beside her on the bed. "You don't believe any of that garbage they're saying do you?" he asked.

Ellie didn't immediately reply and when she looked up at Josh, she saw her hesitance hadn't been well received.

"I see." He said. "Maybe we should slow things down a bit."

"Josh. I don't think that's necessary."

"I do. You obviously don't know me very well and maybe that's partially my fault."

"Josh."

"Ellie, listen to me because I'm only ever going to defend myself to you once, which is one too many times as far as I'm concerned. I don't need whatever political clout you have. I have my own. I'm seeing you because you're intelligent, beautiful, interesting, funny, and a host of other reasons, none of which has anything to do with your father being President of the United States."

"And here's the real kicker, I like that we'd don't need anything political from one another. I'll admit to dating women for those reasons in the past, women who could eventually pull strings for me, but that's not the case with you. I find it refreshing to spend time with a woman and not spend all night arguing politics. I love it. I love the fact that you're not seeking anything from me. That's a real turn on in fact. I'm sorry if I've given you any reason to doubt my true motives in dating you. I have none, other than enjoying your company."

Ellie wrapped her arms around Josh's neck and pulled herself closer to him. "I'm sorry, Josh. I've been selfish, foolish, and immature today. Honestly, it wasn't the actual stories that had me so upset, it was not hearing from you. I'm sorry."

Josh could hear the pain in her voice. "I really am sorry about that, Ellie. But there's gonna be times when I'm unavailable to you, even by phone. I can't help that. It's not intentional; it's my job. Unfortunately, today happened to be one of those days. I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I'm not that kind of guy, despite anything anyone may say about me. I'm not that guy, Ellie."

"I know." Ellie replied while peeling herself away from Josh's body.

"Don't cry." Josh said as he lifted his hand to her face and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.

"I'm not." She insisted.

Josh smiled at that. "Okay." He said as he wiped away another tear.

"Okay, I am, but they're happy tears."

"Okay."

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Honestly, I'm exhausted."

"Did you eat?" she asked.

"Yeah, I grabbed a bite, you?"

"Yeah, my mother, Aunt Millie, and I spent the afternoon together, we had dinner out."

Josh didn't respond lowering his head into his hands and closing his eyes.

"Why don't you lie down?" Ellie lifted herself off the bed, giving Josh room to do as she said.

Josh obediently removed his shoes, coat, suit jacket and tie while Ellie turned her television off. She sat at her desk and set about balancing her checkbook because of her purchases that afternoon. It didn't take long before she noticed Josh was sound asleep. Once her bank account was up to date, she fired up her computer and checked her emails. She found nothing pressing just friends keeping in touch, a few who she didn't see on a daily basis asking her if she really were dating Josh Lyman. She answered all her emails and then opened her word processor in order to work on an assignment.

After working for some time, she decided to get a drink form a vending machine down the hall. She grabbed her wallet and placed a pair of slippers on her feet. She quickly managed to get a soft drink when Sheila caught up to her.

"Hey, Ellie, a bunch of us are heading over to Casey's. You wanna come?"

"No, not tonight."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she answered as she opened her door.

Sheila stopped in the doorway when she saw Josh's sleeping form on the bed. "Oh."

"He had a rough day." Ellie explained.

"Kay, well, we'll be at Casey's if you change your mind. Although, if I had a man in my bed, I'd be staying home, too." Sheila smiled and waved her departure.

"Funny." Ellie called after her friend and noticed the secret service agent on duty, Molly, was smirking. "He's sleeping." Ellie felt the need to say.

"Okay." Molly replied.

A thought suddenly occurred to Ellie so she silently pulled her door shut again and turned to face the young looking woman who was Ellie's favorite agent on her detail. "Molly, does my love life ever affect your job?" She asked.

"Pardon me?" Molly asked raising her eyebrows and glancing at the other agent standing in the hallway with them.

"Not personally." Ellie smiled before she continued, "I mean, does whom I'm dating ever affect your job?"

"Sure." Molly nodded.

"Really? How?"

"Let's sit in the room." Molly nodded her head towards the room opposite Ellie's the agents used while on duty, wanting Ellie out of the busy hallway. The two women entered the agent's room and Molly kept the door open. She motioned for Ellie to have a seat, which the President's daughter did.

Molly had been delighted years earlier to learn she'd been assigned to Eleanor Bartlet's detail. Not that she didn't like Ellie's sisters, but they both came with unique challenges. Liz being married with kids would be the hardest of the daughters to protect. She would also have to the most agents assigned to her, meaning more precise timing required of the agents protecting her and her family, should a threat present its self. In the years since being assigned to the Bartlet family, scuttlebutt had it that the female agents assigned to Elizabeth Bartlet Westin had been known to have to fend off unwanted advances from her husband, Doug Westin.

Zoey Bartlet, while a relatively easy assignment proved more difficult than either of her sisters, because of her age she being a teenager and feeling herself immortal, made it difficult. She didn't really take any threat made against her seriously, although Molly assumed that her outlook had more than likely changed since the Roslyn shooting.

Ellie, was until recently, a very easy assignment. She kept to herself a lot; she didn't meander too often into the world of politics, and managed to keep the same core circle of friends. It didn't hurt that she was a likeable girl as well.

"So how does my dating someone change things?"

"Mostly, it matters who you're dating. We usually do background checks and take other measures when you start dating someone. Since your father took office, you're dates and boyfriends haven't really affected us much until now of course."

"Because of Josh?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"He's an important man, Ellie. I don't want to scare you, but his presence in your life increases the potential threats against you."

"I don't understand, that doesn't make sense." She shook her head.

"Sure it does. He'd the third most powerful person in your father's administration. He angers and disappoints people sometimes; he stops them from getting things they want. Some of those people could want revenge, and unfortunately a lot of people seek revenge by hurting someone close to whoever's angered them."

"And that would be me?"

"Yes."

"Could this not also work in reverse?"

"You mean people targeting Josh? You know that's true, look at Roslyn. That's why when you and Josh are together, we add an extra agent to your detail."

"For him?"

"Yes."

"And none of my other boyfriends or dates had their own agent?"

"No. The agent responsible for bystanders would have looked after them, but Josh is a VIP."

"I never noticed an extra agent."

"Good, that means we're doing our job."

"Does the agent stay with Josh when we're not together?"

"No. The only time Josh would have his own detail is when your father and Leo McGarry are both out of town."

"Why then?"

"Because he becomes the most important person in the White House."

"What about the Vise-President?"

"Well, he always has his won detail, but Ellie, in terms of importance to your father, his administration, and national security, Josh is higher than the VP. Josh has more immediate access to the building and I'm sure to what's going on in the administration on a day to day basis than Vise President Hoynes."

"So who decided to have an extra agent for Josh? Was it my dad?"

"No. That's our call. Once we saw a dating pattern develop, we discussed it with our boss and decided Josh's presence created an added threat so it's within everybody's best interest to add an agent when he's around."

"Does my dad know?"

"Not yet, he will at his monthly secret service meeting."

"Okay." Ellie answered before adding more to herself than to Molly, "I really had no idea how high his position is."

"Well, it is, he's a big wig as the saying goes." Molly smiled at Ellie. 

"He doesn't act like it."

"I'm sure he does when it serves his and your father's interests."

"I guess."

"Are things okay?" Molly asked. This wouldn't be the first time Molly and Ellie had had a heart to heart talk concerning Ellie's dates.

"I think so. Josh is a good guy."

"Good. I didn't believe what they were saying for a moment."

"Really."

"Really. He has more political pull than you have. He doesn't need you for that."

"I'm quickly learning that." Ellie smiled.

"Is he treating you well?" Molly asked.

"Now you sound more like my parents than a friend." Ellie teased, before answering, "Yes, he is."

"Good."

"So you approve." Ellie chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so. As long as he's good to you that's all that really matters from my point of view, but I'm sure it helps that he's kinda sexy." Molly smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.

"You got that right." Ellie laughed her agreement before taking a sip from her cola.

"Is he really sleeping in there? I mean, I'm not holding up anything am I?"

Ellie smiled at the agent. She enjoyed the easy camaraderie they shared. She knew Zoey shared the same sort of closeness with her agent, Gina. Ellie didn't really think of Molly so much as a secret service agent but more as a friend who carried a concealed loaded weapon.

"He's sleeping. Do you honestly think I'd be here talking to you if I had a hot sexy man waiting in my bed?"

Molly smiled, "No, I suppose not."

"Is it easier for you guys if we're here or at Josh's?"

"Honestly, here. There are more variables at Josh's, but don't you worry about these things, Ellie. That's our job. Just continue to do things normally, if we need to change things, we'll let Agent Butterfield know." Molly looked at her watch, "Well, we're about to have a change of shift. Have a nice evening, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ellie realized she was being dismissed and stood, "You too, see ya. I'll probably be in Washington during your next shift."

"Kay."

Ellie walked across the hall and entered her room. She looked at her bed and found Josh still sleeping. She turned on her television and lowered the volume before changing into the satin pajamas she'd bought earlier in the day. Halfway through Dateline she heard Josh move. She turned to find his eyes closed, but sensed he was awake, sure enough he stretched and opened his eyes.

"Hey." She smiled.

"I fell asleep?"

"Yep."

"How long was I out?" he asked.

Ellie looked at her alarm clock. "A couple hours."

"Wow." Josh looked at the clock himself astonished it was ten-thirty. "Sorry."

"It's okay, you obviously needed sleep and I managed to organize some thoughts on an assignment I need to get started on. Plus, I had a nice talk with Molly."

"Who's Molly?" he asked while rolling onto his side looking at Ellie.

"One of my agents."

"Oh. Come here." Josh patted the bed beside him.

Ellie did as he asked and came to the bed, sitting with on leg bent on the bed and the other still on the floor.

"Josh wrapped his hand around her arm and gently pulled her towards him. "Lie down with me." He said. "It just dawned on me that other than our initial embrace I haven't touched or kissed you since I arrived."

Ellie lowered herself into a lying position on her side and snuggled against Josh's form. She propped her upper body onto her elbow and smiled at him, "So you haven't." She lowered her face down to meet his and they kissed.

When they broke apart, Josh said, "I really am sorry about today, Ellie. I hope you trust me when I tell you I have no ulterior motive in dating you other than wanting to spend time with you."

"I believe you. I'm sorry I even doubted you."

"I like these." Josh said while caressing the satin material of her shirt collar between his fingers.

Ellie looked at his action replying, "They're new, I bought them today."

"Nice." He said before claiming her lips with his once again. He let go of the label and pulled her tighter against him, relishing the feel of her soft curves pressed flush against his hard muscles. He brought his left hand between them and squeezed and caressed Ellie's breast. As always, she let out a tiny moan and arched her back, pushing her orb deeper into his caress. "I missed you today." He murmured just before he began to nuzzle her throat.

"Me too." She expelled.

Josh smiled at her words but chose to ignore her improper use of the language and kissed her instead.

"Josh." She moaned.

No matter how many times she said his name during their more intimate moments, he knew he was never going to tire of hearing it. She whimpered when his hand left her breast to tackle the buttons of her shirt. Once he had them all undone his hand went back to her now bare breast and he groaned. He loved the feel of her bare skin; it was soft and smooth, which always reminded him of her age. His dates had always up until this point, been close to his own age, so it had been a long, long time since he'd touched bare youth.

When he took her right nipple into his mouth Ellie moaned, arched, and her lower half pressed against him. Unfortunately, their difference in height didn't allow for their more intimate parts to connect. He pushed against her, rolling her onto her back. Seeing how close to the edge of her bed the movement brought them, he slide his body back towards the wall her bed was pushed up against, bringing her with him.

Once a comfortable position was established he lowered his mouth back down to her erect peak and slide his hand down her body, beneath her pants and panties to her throbbing sex. He barely touched her before she reached her first release. She clung to him as she moaned his name and pushed herself against his hand. When her breathing returned to normal, he stopped his actions briefly and kissed her on the mouth.

"Yeah, I definitely missed you today." She smiled.

"I'm here now."

"Lucky me." She said just as his fingers found her clit and began to message it. "Josh! That feels…" She couldn't finish her sentence finding it too hard to concentrate on the waves of pleasure rippling through her body. His mouth dropped to hers again until she climaxed.

"I think we have way too many clothes on." He said when she returned to the present.

"Yes, we do." She pulled herself up onto her knees and discarded her pajama top, watching as Josh removed his shirt and undershirt. Next they both shed the remainder of their clothing and Ellie placed her hands on his chest and pushed him onto his back. "I don't have any condoms." She said when her eyes caught his maleness standing at attention.

"My wallet." He said.

Ellie reached down and grabbed his pants off the floor handing them to him. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet out. Within moments he was handing Ellie a square foil wrap while letting his pants and wallet fall to the floor. She ripped the packet open and threw the wrapping to the floor. Again she tried to roll the latex rubber onto his penis without much success.

Josh's hands were soon on hers directing her on how to accomplish her goal and the two managed to sheath him. Ellie moved forward until she was straddling his hips, his member barely touching her entrance.

"You're so beautiful." Josh whispered while staring into her eyes.

His words inspired her to forget the fact that Josh's eyes could easily roam her naked form. She didn't think she was ugly or unattractive, but having a man blatantly gaze at her had always unnerved her. With Josh it was different though, she loved the way he looked at her. As though she truly were truly most beautiful woman in the world. It was stomach turning and excited her. She lowered herself until Josh's tip was inside her. His hands came to rest on her hips, helping to guide her. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." She lowered herself some more, engulfing half his length. She looked down at him noticing his eyes were closed, and he was biting his lower lip. "Are you?" she asked.

Opening his eyes, he looked up at her, "Yeah, but you're killing me."

She smiled at his remark, "now we can't have that, can we?" she said as she took the rest of him inside her.

Josh's only response was a husky groan, a sound she loved, and he closed his eyes again. She pulled herself up and again slowly lowered her self back down into his thrust, this time she came back up quickly with a yelp and he slid out of her.

Josh's eyes flew open, "What happened, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was just deeper than I anticipated, I guess."

"Did it hurt?"

"A bit."

"If you don't want to…"

"No, I want to."

"Okay, then it's your show. You have full control here. If it still hurts without my thrusts let me know. Maybe you could lay down then." He suggested.

"Kay." She said as she once again took him into her and very slowly began to slide up and down his shaft without his upward thrusts. This time there was no pain, just a slow building pleasurable sensation. She could tell Josh was restraining himself from pumping up into her. A part of her felt bad about it, but at the same time, his eyes showed his own building pleasure.

She continued to thrust in and out in slow even movements, never once taking her eyes from his. She could hear her own breathing coming in short bursts. Josh's hands left her hips and caressed their way up to her breasts. He cupped them, fondled them and then began to roll her nipples between his fingers and thumbs sending her over the edge very quickly while still continuing to hold eye contact with him. It was the most erotic moment of her life, even more so than the mirror at his place.

When Josh's hands fell back to her hips she realized he was climaxing. It thrilled her to be in total control of their actions and bring him to release. She lowered herself down to his chest and kissed his neck when he was finished. "That was amazing."

"It sure was." He panted while stroking her back. She looked into his face and smiled before placing her lips on his. He cradled her face in his hands. "You sure it didn't hurt?" he asked.

"No, it was fine. Are you disappointed in me?" 

"No, why would I be?" he asked obviously confused with her question.

"That you couldn't thrust." She managed before looking away.

"Ellie." Josh placed his hands on the sides of her jaw and once again turned her to face him. "It's okay. When it comes to sex, there's nothing right or wrong, as long as both parties are consenting adults."

"I know, it's just…"

"It's okay. We're still exploring our intimate relationship. We both have likes and dislikes we're still learning.

"It's kind of embarrassing."

"What is?"

"Not being able to take you as deep as you can go. That's never happened be…"

"Don't say it. I don't want to hear about anyone else."

"It surprised me, and I wanted…" she couldn't finish her sentence and turned beet red.

"Ellie, it's okay. Don't be embarrassed. It all worked out in the end. That's one of the advantages of a woman being on top, it allows for deeper penetration, sometimes deeper than necessary, but it also allows you to be in control. So it kind of works out in the end. Trust me, how deep I'm buried inside you isn't an issue, as long as we both enjoy ourselves. Okay?"

"Okay." She answered as she lifted her self up and off of him and lay back down off to the side of him.

They lay there snuggling for a while before Josh raised himself off the bed and removed the condom, tying the end, and throwing it in the garbage before walking to her small sink and cleaning himself up. She watched how easily he walked around the room in the buff wondering how come guys didn't seem to ever be embarrassed or uncomfortable with their bodies. Once he was finished his tasks he returned to the bed.

Ellie decided to wash herself as well and got off the bed. She returned a few moments later, stopping at the side of the bed looking down at her pajamas on the floor, contemplating whether or not she should put them on. She decided that since Josh remained nude, she would as well.

She climbed back into the bed and snuggled up against him. She lay in his arms thinking about how easily she was able to let go of her hurt and anger. A few years earlier, she wouldn't have been able to do that. If John had upset her, she'd remain angry for days sometimes. Either she had grown and matured or she hadn't really been in love with John. Of course she knew the answer to that, she'd never been in love really. Maybe she loved David, her high school boyfriend, but it had been a young love, not what she felt for Josh. She knew she was deeply in love with the man lying in her bed, always had been and no matter what happened between them, always would be.

After hearing what her Aunt Millicent had had to say regarding Josh's physical ailments she was beginning to worry about his health too. The stress he was under regarding her father's illness couldn't be good for him. He looked tired and worn out, like he could fall asleep for a steady week and it wouldn't be enough. She was brought out of her private thoughts when he spoke.

"Have you been completely satisfied?"

"What?"

"You know, sexually. You're not frustrated are you?"

She pulled her self up to look at him. "Josh…I…yes. Why are you asking me that?"

He continued to stroke her side as he replied, "I don't want to leave you hanging. I don't really know yet how to tell if you're, you know, finished."

A pink color spread across her face, "Yes, I'm fine. I…" she smiled shyly at him. "This is new for me, too." She confessed.

Josh looked at her for a moment before he understood her words, "You mean…you never…before..." He stuttered just as she had earlier.

She shook her head, "No, I mean, you know, once during foreplay and again during intercourse, although not always then, but that would be it." She answered shyly.

"Oh. So, I'm 'da man." Josh said the words before he could stop himself.

Ellie shook her head from side to side and smirked. "You know, up until that moment you were adorable."

"I have my faults" He smiled.

"So it seems."

"You'll let me know though, you know, if you're ever left frustrated?"

"Josh…" 

"I'm serious. I'd hate to dissatisfy you and well, I aim to please." He smiled again, his dimples making a full appearance.

Ellie couldn't help her self and poked the tip of her index finger into one of the crevices. "If you insist." She said pulling her finger back.

"I do." Josh replied wondering what women found so intriguing about his dimples. He couldn't count the number who had poked, prodded, and pinched them.

Changing the subject he said, "I think we should buy you a new bed."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" she asked looking at her bed.

"Nothing, other than its size. It's been a very long time since I regularly made love in a single bed, Ellie. I think I'm at an age where I'd like more room in order to explore comfortably."

Ellie chuckled at his words; her bed was posing some rather interesting challenges in their sexual exploits. "Okay, first, no talking about the past remember? And secondly, just think of my bed as an adventure."

"I'd rather you be the adventure not your bed."

Her stomach flipped at his words. She loved his honest manor concerning their intimacy. "I don't think there's room in here for anything bigger." She looked around her room.

Josh let his eyes roam the room and agreed, although a double wouldn't be so bad he thought to himself, before he spoke again. "How thick do you think these walls are?" he asked while tapping his knuckles against the wall beside him.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Just curious. Do you ever hear your neighbors?"

"You mean, when she has someone in her room?"

"Yeah."

"Um, sometimes." She answered honestly, "but I think she does it on purpose."

"Showing off?"

"I guess. Do you think we might be too loud?"

"I don't know. I know you're quieter here than at my place." He smiled at the blush his words brought to her face.

"Well, so are you." She chided.

"I'm conscious of it."

"Me, too."

"Kay, but still. Do you think your agents, you know, hear us?"

"I could ask." She smiled

"No, I don't think I want to know that badly."

"Speaking of agents, did you know you have one?"

"When Leo and your dad are away? Yes."

"No, I mean now."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. When we're together, an extra agent gets put on my detail."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Makes sense I guess."

"Yes it does. According to Molly, you're some sort of big wig." She smiled at him.

Again Josh's words were out of his mouth before he'd had time to filter them saying, "Apparently in more ways than one." He quickly tried to double back, "Sorry, sometimes my mouth is faster than my brain."

"It's okay. Just don't let it go to your head."

Josh remained silent before changing the subject once again. "I'm going to have to work tomorrow."

"Okay."

"I don't know how long I'll be. I'm so busy, I feel like I'm being pulled in a hundred different directions."

"Are you working on anything of great importance?"

"Well, I think I'm finally done with the farming issue your father wanted resolved. I think I found the monies needed to help Mexico with their crisis. Big tobacco is crazy; and then there's your dad's illness. I'm going to be working on that 24/7 from here on out. I think we need some polling data done on this."

"Isn't there an expert out there who does this sort of thing?"

"Pollsters, Yes."

"No, I meant people who figure all this stuff out. Work on strategy, planning, deciding what to do next, and even if my dad should go public?"

Josh smiled, "Yes."

"Then my dad should hire him or her."

"He already has."

"He has. Who?"

"Me. I'm a strategy expert, Ellie. You know, most presidential administrations have had between three and five Deputy's Chief of Staff. All with different titles, being that they each had different areas of expertise. Originally, I was appointed the Deputy Chief of Staff of Strategic Planning. Your father was going to appoint Leo other Deputy's, but never got around to it. So the Strategic Planning was dropped from my title somewhere along the way and I do it all, but this is still my area of expertise."

"Oh."

In the morning Josh woke before Ellie, climbed out of bed and dressed in his underwear and pants. He turned the television on, sitting on the chair to her desk. He picked up the remote on the desk and searched for something to watch, finding nothing. He turned the TV off and sat in the chair trying to decide if he should get dressed and find a place to buy a coffee. Then he remembered the secret service agents hovering around outside the room. He got out of the chair and threw his undershirt on and opened the door. The agent standing directly outside the door turned to look at him.

"Hey." Josh smiled.

"Morning."

"You know where I can get a cup of coffee?"

The agent smiled, the kind of smile that said the man was a fellow coffee drinker and understood Josh's early morning need. "I can get you one."

"No. I can get…" Josh didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.

The agent hollered across the hall to the open doorway, "Hey, Markel, could you spare a cup of coffee for Mr. Lyman?"

Agent Markel came out of the room and recognized Josh's need, "Sure, wait a sec." He returned a few minutes later with a mug and placed it in Josh's hands. He also gave him another mug full of coffee creamers and packets of sugar.

"Thanks." Josh replied before disappearing back into Ellie's room. He sat back down and made his coffee. He picked his suit jacket off the floor fishing out his cell phone, returning a few missed calls. Then he called his office and checked his messages.

"Morning."

He turned to see Ellie stretching her naked form. He felt a familiar twitch in his pants but chose to ignore it, knowing he didn't have another condom in his wallet. "Morning, sleep okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

He tilted his head, "Okay, I guess. I think I'm going to have a kink though." He reached up and messaged the side of his neck.

"You have a coffee?" she nodded her head towards the mug sitting on her desk, knowing it wasn't her own.

"Yeah, wanna sip?" He passed the mug to her.

Ellie accepted the beverage and took a gulp. She, too, was an early morning coffee drinker. She never went to classes before having at least one. "I really should get myself a coffee maker for my room."

"I agree."

"Where'd you get this one?"

"Your agents took pity on me."

"See, they're looking out for you." She teased.

"Think any of them are carrying a condom? Maybe I should talk to the guys who are assigned to me." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her.

"Your incorrigible."

"It's not my fault you're lying there in your tiny bed without any clothes on. A tease, that's what you are." He countered.

Ellie looked down at herself. She had no idea why they hadn't gotten underneath her covers during the night. Finally deciding they were forced to lie close enough together that their body heat had kept them warm.

"I don't suppose you've seen a doctor yet?" He asked.

"Actually I have."

"You did."

"Yes, but don't get all excited. I haven't filled my prescription yet."

"Why not?"

"I have to wait." When she saw Josh frown his confusion she explained. "I have to wait for a certain point in my cycle before I can start the pill."

"Right." Josh folded his arms across his chest. "Can't blame me for trying."

Ellie took another sip of coffee. "What time do you have to be at work?"

"No set time."

"Kay." She looked at her clock noting the time was seven-thirty." She pulled her self out of bed and handed him the coffee back before straddling his lap.

"I swear you're trying to kill me." He placed the coffee on the desk to their side.

"Honestly, I'd never do that." She smiled. "I'm certainly not above pleasuring you though." She purred as she placed her lips on his neck.

Her actions brought a groan from him. Josh's right hand found her breast and began to knead it. "Josh." She moaned throwing her head back.

"Hmm?"

"This isn't about me."

"Ellie, you're sitting on my lap in the nude and you expect me not to play?"

She smiled at his choice of words. "Okay, just remember who's suppose to be receiving the pleasure."

"Don't worry, I'm pleased." He kissed the top of her shoulder while continuing to fondle her breast.

"Once again you're over dressed for this party." She lowered her own hands to his pants and undid his button. Again, Josh groaned. She unzipped his fly and reached inside his pants finding his bulge. She began to fondle it through his boxers and he bucked.

"Ellie." He panted.

"You're not going to try and stop me this time are you?" she whispered in his ear before nipping at his throat. When he didn't answer her she began to lower herself to the floor in front of him.

"Ellie, you don't have to." Josh looked down at her.

"I know, but I don't want to leave you frustrated." She smiled up at him.

"You're not playing fair."

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll deal with it." She said before reaching inside the slit of his boxer shorts and latching onto his fully erect penis. When her tongue sneaked out of her mouth in anticipation Josh closed his eyes and rolled his head back. Ellie knew he wanted this as badly as she wanted to give it so pulled him out of his confines.

She looked back up and noticed Josh still had his head back against the chair. She looked at his organ and blew on it. She felt more than saw his upper body movement; she looked up once again and saw him looking down at her. Which is exactly what she was hoping to achieve. The first time she'd done this she'd been so absorbed in the act that she hadn't really paid much attention to him. This time she wanted a deeper connection.

She licked her lips and then leaned down placing her tongue on the base of his shaft and slowly licked her way up to the rim of his head and back down again. Once she was at its base again, she turned her head sideways and wrapped her lips around him, lightly biting. She again worked her way up to his ridge. Josh sucked in a breath. She looked up and noticed he was still watching her. This turned her on in spades. With her left hand she reached into his boxers and found his sack and began to squeeze. Running her fingernails across them. Josh closed his eyes and groaned.

Ellie felt his balls tightening in response. She ran her mouth back downward and slowly slid her tongue upwards on the under shaft. This time when she reached the rim of his head, she flattened her tongue and continued over the ridge to his soft tip. There she found a pool of pre-cum waiting for her. She rolled her tongue around the tip, teasingly. She looked up again to find Josh still watching her movements. His eyes had that glazed droopy set about them that she loved.

She removed her tongue from him and brought it back into her mouth. She looked at his tip and let out a moan of her own. She let her hand run up his shaft and back down again before she lowered her mouth to the tip and placed her lips onto it in the shape of an o. She pulled back knowing the sticking substance settled there would come with her. She looked into Josh's eyes as she did this seeing his breathing coming in shorter clips. The sticky substance ran between his tip and her lips like a thread of silly string. She reached out with her tongue and broke the bridge, licking the substance from her lips. Still remaining eye contact with him.

She lowered her mouth back to his tip and placed her tongue on the hole and slightly wiggled her tongue so the very tip of it worked its way inside. This brought about another buck from Josh's hips. Ellie looked up at him and smiled, "Getting impatient?" she purred.

"God, Ellie."

She pulled the entire head into her mouth and gave a small suck. She could feel his shaft stiffening even further and knew from her previous blowjob that Josh was getting close to his release. She decided to stop her teasing and get down to business. She began to work her way down his shaft, taking him deeper and deeper into her throat. Once she reached his base she pulled back up, sucking as she did so. She felt Josh's hands slide into her hair and run his fingers through it, letting strands fall and then repeating the action. She continued to deep throat him and felt his climax coming allowing her to pull up enough so she wouldn't choke on his seed. Seconds later he expelled his climax both literally and verbally. This time, she noticed he didn't seem able to control his audio level and was pretty sure not only had her neighbors heard, but probably the secret service agent standing beside her door as well.

With Josh's head once again resting on the back of the chair, Ellie noticed he had managed to slide down the chair a bit, she lifted her self up off the floor taking the mug of now cold coffee into her hand and taking a gulp. When she replaced it onto the desk she looked down at Josh and noticed he was now looking up at her. He still looked as though he was drugged; she smiled at him knowing the look was orgasm induced.

"I think I'll get dressed." She smiled at him.

Josh remained where he was but reached out and grabbed her hand in his, forcing her to sit on his lap. "Sit with me a bit."

"Okay." She lied sideways on him more than sat, snuggling into his chest. She stayed there for some time, relaxing in Josh's arms. Finally, he seemed to regain his faculties and leaned down to kiss her. "You sure you don't have some form of birth control around here." He asked.

"Pretty sure. You're in no shape to need it anyway." She smiled at him.

"I could be in a little while."

"Well, we both have to get to Washington, so we don't have time. Now, I'm getting dressed. I'll wait to shower at my parents."

"Kay."

WW 

A couple weeks later the senior staff found themselves sitting in the mess hall catching a late dinner together. They'd been ordered to do so, although not necessarily together, by Leo, telling them to wait for him to call them into a meeting in the residence with the president. They were going to go over all thoughts and concerns regarding the president going public with his MS.

While dealing with big tobacco, the disconcerting polling date Joey Lucas had obtained for them, and his own thoughts and feelings regarding the president's failure to disclose his illness, Josh found himself trying to deal with Sam's disappointment and hurt as well.

He loved Sam like a brother, but he could never understand how Sam managed to be intelligent while remaining naïve in many ways at the same time. So, still hurting himself, Josh was doing his best to help pull his best friend through his anger as well. On top of that he was still trying to juggle his still fresh relationship with Ellie. He'd seen very little of her during the last couple weeks, to be exact, he'd seen her only once between the morning after he'd slept at her place and now. He was spending most of his time in the basement of the White House, barely seeing the light of day or his own apartment for that matter. He'd managed to have a phone conversation with his mother after she heard about his dating the president's daughter. She seemed pleased and happy for him, and of course gave him strict instructions to treat the young lady respectfully. He had no idea why his mother always felt the need to give him the same lecture whenever someone new entered his life, but she did, so he accepted it politely and respectfully.

While the others talked amongst themselves, nothing remotely close to the president's illness since mess hall staffers were still on duty, Josh's thoughts drifted to Ellie, something that was happening more and more often these days.

It bothered him that she had felt the need to apologize that night in her dorm room when his upward thrusts had proven painful. What could possible provoke an apology from her? Shouldn't he have been the only one to apologize? It led him to consider what kind of gomers she'd dated in the past and what the hell kind of relationships she'd had. He was brought out of his thoughts when the cell phone clipped to his belt rang.

"Josh Lyman." He answered.

The others looked on expectantly.

Josh shook his head in the affirmative, meaning it was Leo. His co-workers started to pack up their belongings, expecting Leo to tell them to come to the residence. It was after all close to ten and Leo had told them to expect his call around nine.

"In the mess. Yeah, they're all here." Josh answered as he looked around the table at this friends then remained silent for a moment.

"Kay." Josh frowned into the phone. "See you in a minute."

"What's wrong?" Toby asked.

"I don't know." Josh rose to his feet.

"Let's go." CJ stood as well.

"Um, he told me to come to his office alone. He wants you guys to stay here."

"Josh?" Toby questioned.

"I don't know, Toby. I'm just as surprised as you. Maybe the president can't meet tonight." He shrugged his shoulders before leaving the room.

It didn't take him long to reach Leo's office. Margaret told him to go right in.

"What's up?" Josh asked as he entered the room finding Leo sitting behind his desk looking shell-shocked.

"We're going to have to post-pone the meeting."

"Leo, we really need to…" Josh stopped not liking the look on his mentor's face. "You okay?"

"No, I don't think I am."

"What's wrong?"

"It's Mrs. Landingham."

"Mrs. L? What's wrong, is she okay?"

"No." Leo shook his head. "She was in a car accident."

"In her new car? Is she okay, she's not in the hospital is she?"

"She's dead." Leo managed to say without much emotion.

Josh lowered himself to the chair beside him. "What? Does the president know?"

"Yeah, I told him a little earlier."

"How is he?"

"Devastated. So we won't be having our meeting tonight. I'd like you to tell the others."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. You okay?"

"Shocked, upset, angry."

"What happened?"

"Drunk driver blew a red light."

Josh closed his eyes. "Has he told the girls yet?"

"I imagine, she was like a grandmother to those girls, Josh. Ellie's going to be heartbroken."

"I know. You okay? Want me to stick around?"

"No, I'm fine. Go talk to the others."

"You'll call if you need me?" Josh asked as he got to his feet.

Leo looked at the younger man and let a very small smile cross his lips. He loved Josh like a son and it was at moments like this he remembered why, because his friends had done a damn fine job raising the younger man. To the average onlooker or listener, like his assistant Margaret, Josh's true meaning would go unnoticed, but Leo caught it immediately. Josh wanted to know if he needed someone to help him over the hump of his shock, someone to make sure he didn't turn to the bottle. Lord knew the stress levels they were all feeling in the last few weeks could easily make him head in that direction.

"I'm fine. Now go."

"Kay." As Josh left he heard Leo call Margaret into the room.

Josh took his time returning to the mess hall. The last thing on earth he wanted to do was break this grave news to the rest of the staff. Honestly, what he really wanted to do was get a hold of Ellie. He wondered if her parents would break the news to her over the phone? Or would they have her brought home to tell her and her sisters in person? He hoped so. He hated the thought of her being alone in her room and hearing about Mrs. Landingham's death, with no one there to hold her while she cried and absorbed the news.

He walked into the mess and was immediately bombarded with questions. They were all wondering what was going on? Had the meeting been cancelled, if so why? Would it be rescheduled, was it being reschedule for later in the evening?

Josh lowered himself to his seat and held up his hands. "Guys."

Finally, the others seemed to grasp Josh's state and knew something was terribly wrong. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sam asked his friend.

"The meeting's been cancelled. I don't know when we'll have it. Mrs. Landingham was in a car accident earlier tonight. She didn't make it."

"What?" Toby asked. 

"Make what?" Sam asked at the same time.

"Oh my god, Josh?" CJ seemed to understand what Josh was saying.

Josh looked at the press secretary. "She's dead. She was hit by a drunk driver."

"Oh no." CJ's eyes immediately filled with tears.

Toby and Sam each lowered their heads. Both stunned by the news.

Josh somehow managed to think about work, "CJ, you're going to have to get started on a press release. I don't know when we'll break the news, but I'd like us to be ready."

"Of course." She nodded her head.

"Is there any next of kin that needs to be notified?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure. Leo says the president will be telling his daughter's sometime tonight. He might have already done so." Josh murmured.

"She had sons, they're deceased." Toby said.

"I didn't know that." CJ confessed.

"How'd they die?" Sam asked.

"Nam."

"Okay, I'm going to my office." CJ stood from the table and hurried out of the room. The men looked at one another, trying to decide who would follow the obviously upset woman.

"I'll go." Josh said and followed CJ out of the room. He reached her at the stairs.

"CJ."

"Josh, I wanna be left alone."

"You're upset."

"No shit." She whirled around and realized how terrible she was being. She wasn't the only one shocked by this piece of news. "I'm sorry." She placed her fingertips on her forehead and closed her eyes.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. She was a sweet lady, why?"

"I wish I knew."

"How'd Ellie take the news?"

"I don't know. I don't want to call in case she doesn't know yet. I'm hoping the president or first lady called her and asked her to come home."

"Yeah, that would be better for her. What about Zoey and Liz?"

Josh shook his head. "Don't know."

CJ began to climb the stairs with Josh beside her. "I feel like I'm drowning and can't for the life of me figure out which way the surface is. How's the president?" CJ asked as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Leo says he's taking it pretty hard."

"No doubt." CJ replied and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "I don't know, Josh. Do you ever feel like you've had enough, like you just can't do it any longer?" She stopped and turned to her companion.

"Lately, yes." He shook his head again. At that point the tears CJ were trying desperately to hold back began to roll down her face. She looked away from Josh and wiped a tear.

"CJ." Was all Josh could say to her, he had no idea what else to do so did what came naturally and took her into an embrace. At that point, the press secretary broke down, allowing her self a few moments to grieve. Josh felt better holding onto another person, making him feel more human.

When CJ had cried her tears dry they broke apart and continued their journey to their offices. Josh sat behind his desk trying to decide what to do. For weeks he wanted nothing more than to spend a night in his own apartment in his own bed, but now, he didn't want to be alone. So he sat there in the darkness of his office willing himself to hold it together.


	5. Chapter 5

The Next Step 5

_Before reading this chapter, I'd just want to say I've "borrowed" a scene, word for word, written by Aaron Sorkin. It was a conscious decision as I thought it would be fun if Ellie were in a position to overhear it. Plus, it helped me get my couple into a conversation that would ultimately give Josh some interpersonal grief. I'm sure you'll know the scene when you stumble upon it. _

_Also, I wasn't sure exactly what the protocol for Donna's entrance into Josh's room concerning the secret service would be so I chose to ignore it on purpose. Hope you enjoy this next chapter ___

The Next Step 5

Eleanor Bartlet was the only family member still up as the rest had gone to bed, though she was pretty sure most weren't sleeping. She'd called Josh's cell phone twice and was now hanging up the receiver having just called his office, she had yet to reach him and she'd been home for a few hours now. She quickly dialed his home number but was met with the same voice messages found on the previous numbers she'd dialed.

She went to the kitchen and set about making herself a cup of tea. While waiting for the kettle to boil she tried to hold back the tears that kept threatening to come. When she'd received the phone call to return home, she'd wondered what she had done, but for the life of her couldn't think of a thing. When she arrived to find Zoey also in the residence and her mother telling them both they were waiting for Liz's arrival, she assumed the family meeting had been called in order to discuss her father's MS. She knew Josh had been working around the clock on the issue and plans were in the works for her father to disclose his illness to the American public.

Once her older sister arrived with her family in tow, all three of the Bartlet sisters and Liz's husband, Doug, gathered in the family room waiting patiently for her mother and father to appear. One look at her father upon their arrival and Ellie's concerns doubled. It was easy to see he'd recently been crying and it scared her. She couldn't remember a time when she'd witnessed such an event.

The news that followed her parent's entrance had been shocking. Mrs. Landingham had been killed in a car accident. Ellie remembered hearing Liz's intake of breath and Zoey's quiet, "No." She had remained quiet, at least she thought she had, however she did remember staying seated and bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. Surely, she'd heard incorrectly, Mrs. Landingham was a fixture, a constant in her life. As far back as she could remember the gentle kind woman had worked for her father and now she was gone and possibly just when her father may need her calming, sensible guidance the most. How could they possibly go on without her?

With her tea made she walked back into the living room and sank into the comfortable overstuffed sofa bringing her legs up underneath her. She sat there for forty minutes, drinking her tea and reminiscing about years past with Mrs. Landingham, before bringing her mug back into the kitchen. As she headed for her room she noticed a spray of light underneath her parent's bedroom door. She stopped and lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in." her mother answered.

Ellie entered the room to find her mother seated in bed.

"Where's dad?"

"He's with Zoey."

"Oh."

"How you doing?" Abby asked her daughter as she patted the bed beside her.

"As well as can be expected I guess." Ellie sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's so senseless," Abby muttered.

"Tragic. I'm really going to miss her."

"Me, too."

"She called me last week." Ellie almost whispered.

"She did?"

"Yeah. Wanted to let me know how happy she was with my latest choice of a beau." A small smile spread across the young woman's lips.

"That was nice. She liked Josh." Abby reconfirmed.

"That's what she told me."

"Well, that's something to remember. She approved of your boyfriend. Had she ever let you know this with any of the others?"

"No." Ellie admitted and continued with, "Speaking of Josh, I can't get a hold of him."

"You're father was suppose to meet with the senior staff tonight. He could still be in the building."

"He's not answering any of his phones."

"Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?" Abby asked.

"No." Ellie shook her head.

"Then go for a walk. Maybe he's in the building but doesn't have his cell phone with him."

"I can't…" 

"Yes you can. Now go." Abby insisted waving her arms towards the exit.

Ellie took her mother's advice and left the residence for the west wing. She didn't have to look far as she found Josh in the first place she looked, his office. He was seated at his desk sound a sleep. She stood in his doorway for a moment just soaking in the sight of him. She hadn't realized how much she missed him when he wasn't around until that moment. She also noticed how peaceful he looked. Just as she was about to turn and leave he stirred and opened his eyes. He must have sensed her presence.

Josh opened his eyes and noticed a figure in the doorway and thought for a moment he was dreaming, then he thought an angel was visiting him, but when his cognitive abilities fully awoke he realized it was Ellie. Suddenly remembering where he was and what had happened earlier in the evening he rose to his feet and whispered, "Hi."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Ellie clasped her hands and started to ring them together.

"It's okay." He walked around his desk towards her. "How are you?"

She shook her head, "Not very good." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Will you hold me?"

Before she even finished her sentence she was wrapped in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Ellie." Was all Josh could bring himself to say.

"I'm going to miss her." She managed between sobs.

"Me, too. She was a special lady. God, I was just talking to her this afternoon. She was going to pick up her new car…" He rested his chin on the top of Ellie's head and closed his eyes taking in the fresh lavender scent he would forever associate with her.

The couple remained quiet and rooted to the spot for some time before Josh pulled himself slightly away from Ellie's body and lifted her face up so he could look at her. "Have you slept at all?"

She shook her head no.

"You need sleep, Ellie."

"I don't think I can."

"You wanna go back to my place and lay down?"

"No, I have a perfectly fine bed here. Why don't you come with me?"

"Ellie, I can't." Josh was shaking his head. "I'm not going to lie down with you in the White House."

"Josh, it's my home."

Continuing to shake his head, Josh replied, "As long as your father is President, it's his home and I'm not going to disrespect him by sleeping with you in your residential bed. Even if we don't do anything."

"Josh…"

"Ellie, I work here. This is my place of employment."

"It's a home, too, you know."

"Yes it is, but I can't do it. I'm sorry."

"Will you at least come back with me and sit. I need to be with you right now."

Josh felt something pull inside his chest, just like the first time he'd made love to her and she'd been on the verge of tears. He knew he couldn't deny her that wish even if he tried, "I don't want to intrude…"

"Everyone is in bed."

Josh stood for a long time looking down at her. At the moment she looked so young, vulnerable, and in need of comforting. That was something he could understand whole-heartedly. "Okay, lets go." He reached back and grabbed the pager sitting on his desk.

"What happened to your cell?" She asked as she watched him clip the device onto his belt.

"It's charging," he answered as he took her hand into his.

"Aren't you going to lock your door?"

"No, the cleaning crew still hasn't been in."

"Well, you were sleeping in there." She defended the unseen cleaning crew.

"Trust me, it's hasn't stopped them before." He answered as they reached the stairs heading up to the residence. They quickly found themselves seated on the sofa in the living room; Ellie cradled in Josh's arms. They sat quietly while Josh caressed her back and arm. Neither spoke, as the house remained silent. Within half an hour Josh was feeling himself drifting away.

WW

The President woke with a start, having a dream involving his granddaughter, Annie. As he opened his eyes he remembered he was in Zoey's bedroom. He turned his head looking at the clock on the bedside table it read three o'clock. The room was quiet with the exception of his youngest daughter's soft breathing. She lay resting in his arms, her head lying on his chest. Jed was in a semi lying position, with his shoulders propped up against the headboard. He slowly removed himself from the bed with Zoey murmuring a sleepy, "Dad?" at his movements.

"Shh, go back to sleep, sweetheart." He bent down and kissed her forehead before leaving her room. He walked down the long hallway towards the living room in order to get to his room on the other side of the residence. He was halfway across the room when he noticed someone on the sofa. He stopped and looked down realizing Ellie and Josh were both lying in a spooned position and sound a sleep on the piece of furniture, his daughter wrapped in the Deputy Chief of Staff's embrace. He returned to the hallway retrieving a blanket from the linen closet. Once he was back in the room he draped the blanket over the couple and stood back watching their sleeping forms.

As a man and a father he'd struggled with many emotions since Leo had informed him of Delores' accident. Delores had been like an older sister to him since his college days. She'd been with him through everything. His meeting and falling in love with Abby and their subsequent wedding. The birth of his three beautiful girls, the birth of his grandchildren, his noble prize, she'd been there every step of the way. Right through to his taking the oath of office. They had shared a bond he didn't share with anyone else, not Leo, not even Abby.

He felt cheated to have her taken away. He was angry, sad, frustrated, and even scared to think of continuing on without her steady presence. When he and Abby had broken the news to their children, he wanted to climb into his bed and hibernate for days. The hurt and pain each of the girls displayed was almost more than he could tolerate. He also realized right away that as a father he was finding himself in a lurch. He wanted to be in three places at one time, for each of his daughters. He resolved himself into believing that no matter how he felt about his son-in-law, Doug Westin, he had to believe and trust that the man would be there for his grieving wife.

That still left two daughters and Jed knew by their immediate reactions to the news that Zoey was going to have to be his immediate concern. She had immediately began to cry and turned pale upon hearing the news. She was young and still had an immaturity that would not only want, but need an adult to help navigate her through her grief. He had to hope and pray that Ellie would turn to Abby.

Now, looking down at his daughter's sleeping figure he knew his worries were for not. Even had he been available to her, Ellie more than likely would not have turned to him anyway. She had Josh now. It dawned on him at that moment that his daughter truly was in love with his Deputy, but he was still left wondering about Josh's feelings toward Ellie.

No matter what or how Abby felt, Jed couldn't ignore his intuition on this matter. Deep, deep in his heart he believed Josh Lyman was his daughter's soul mate. He had no idea why he felt this, but he did, and his intuition and instincts rarely failed him. Josh did baffle him though. The man was decent, kind, and usually based most of his decisions on what his heart told him. Josh had proven that the night he'd given the NSC's nuclear card back to Leo and himself, stating something to the affect that he wanted to be a comfort to his friends in times of tragedy. It was a moment in which Josh had let his character and decency shine. Jed had always admired Josh and at that moment, what respect he already held for the younger man had doubled. Though, admittedly, Josh continued to remain an enigma; Jed just couldn't figure him out. Josh was a people person, driven by truth, justice, and passion, so he never could understand why in his forties, Josh was unmarried and without children.

He remembered a conversation he'd once had with Leo regarding this very topic. Leo shrugged it off explaining that perhaps Josh hadn't met the right woman yet. Jed knew differently, there was something more going on. He often wandered if perhaps Josh had been married or possibly engaged once before, only to have lost his love. Either to a bitter divorce or maybe illness, he didn't know for sure, but he'd bet the house in Manchester that Josh had been deeply hurt somewhere along the way and was now scared. Of what, who knew, but more than likely of loving and losing again?

Any woman who loved this man was going to have to remain patient. That's probably where Mandy Hampton had gone wrong. Jed believed Mandy always did everything at a fast pace. She'd probably pushed Josh, trying to get him to make a stronger commitment, but he hadn't been ready. Josh by his very nature was an analyzer. He did it for a living, so he moved at a slower pace, add to it Jed's belief that Josh was somehow frightened of losing to love, and patience was definitely needed in those who loved him. He was positive Leo knew more than he was letting on, and as Ellie's father, he'd like to ask Leo again, but knew he had to respect Josh's privacy.

Looking down at the couple once more brought a smile to his face. Josh may not know it, but the woman currently lying in his arms could be extremely patient and stubborn. Yes, Jed thought, one day, maybe not in the immediate future, or even the medium future, but one day he'd be walking his daughter down the aisle to a waiting Josh Layman. His heart knew it, and if he were honest with himself, he'd admit he was looking forward to that day.

After watching the sleeping forms for a few more seconds he proceeded to his own bedroom. He entered as quietly as he could but still managed to wake his wife.

"Is that you, Jed?" Abby asked sleepily.

"Yeah."

"How's Zoey?"

"Sleeping."

"Good. Did you manage to get any sleep?" she asked.

"A little." He climbed into the bed beside his wife.

"Ellie didn't keep you awake with her roaming then?"

"Yeah she did, but she left, right?"

"Yes, I sent her out to find Josh. She was restless, couldn't sleep, and I'm pretty sure it was related just as much to not being able to locate him as it was to Delores' death."

"She found him."

"How do you know?"

"They're sleeping on the couch."

"They are?"

"Yes. I really need to get some more sleep, Abby."

WW

Later in the morning, Ellie woke up wondering where she was, but remembered when she opened her eyes. She wasn't at school, but in the residence because a woman she loved and cared about was dead. She wished she could close her eyes and make the circumstances and the pain she was feeling go away.

She needed to get up and use the washroom but didn't want to wake Josh who was sleeping behind her, his arms wrapped around her. She looked at the VCR sitting on a shelf beneath the television and saw it was six-fifteen. She slowly slid herself off the couch and out of Josh's strong warm embrace. She stood turning to look at him. He looked so relaxed when sleeping she thought as she pulled the blanket she didn't remember them having back up to cover him. At this point Liz came down the hallway and into the room.

"Morning."

"Morning." Ellie answered as she noticed her sister looking at Josh's sleeping form. She knew Josh wasn't her sister's favorite person so decided not to discuss him. Right now they needed each other's strength and they wouldn't achieve that by arguing. The sisters walked into the kitchen finding both their parents seated at the table with the newspaper spread about and each with a mug of coffee.

"Morning." Abby smiled. With greetings out of the way, she continued, "I'd like you girls to stay in the residence today. I'm sure we'll be receiving phone calls and flowers once CJ announces Delores' death. I realize most of the calls and such will be routed to the oval office, but I'm sure some will come here."

"Where are you going?" Liz asked looking at her parents while pouring Ellie and herself some coffee.

"We're going to arrange the funeral." Jed replied.

"Okay." Ellie answered

"I've also asked the kitchen staff to prepare us breakfast today. I know you probably don't feel like eating, but I'd like everyone to try."

No one responded to the First Lady knowing she was in doctor as well as mother mode and it'd be fruitless to argue. She continued, "And Ellie, please let Josh know he's welcome to join us."

Ellie immediately looked at her father who shook his head in the affirmative.

"Ellie, you don't need your father's permission. Josh is in our home right now as your guest, not as the Deputy Chief of Staff. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

"To you, too?" Abby looked toward her husband.

"Yes."

"Kay, breakfast should be in about an hours time."

WW

Just before their meal was to be served, Abby was heading to Zoey's bedroom to make sure her youngest daughter had gotten dressed. Zoey had made a brief appearance for a cup of coffee but had returned to her room shortly after. Abby had told her she expected to see her daughter at the breakfast table fully dressed, as she was trying desperately to keep her daughters from falling too deeply into their bereavement. As she walked through the living room the sound of soft murmurs caught her attention. Her eyes followed the direction of the sound to find Josh and Ellie standing at the residence entrance in an embrace, speaking softly to one another. She stopped and watched only to turn away when the couple kissed.

Moments after they broke apart, Josh left and Ellie walked into the living room. "Ellie, could you go see if Zoey is ready, and then let your father know I had a quick errand to run. I'll be right back."

"Sure."

As Ellie walked away, Abby made a beeline for the door and left the family residence. She quickly descended the staircase and walked towards Josh's office. She found him slipping into his suit jacket.

"Morning, Josh."

He turned to look at her, "Good morning, Ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"You can tell me why you left. Ellie did tell you that you were welcome to join us for breakfast, did she not?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"So?"

Josh let out a sigh. "Mrs. B. I don't want to intrude. You're family is suffering from a great loss."

"Joshua, you would not be intruding. You were a guest in our home."

"Ma'am, I still feel that you need family time, I'm not sure how comfortable I am just yet to sitting at a table where I could easily be dismissed with a simple "thank-you, Josh."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Ma'am, before you start yelling at me, I also made arrangements to meet Sam for breakfast this morning, and promised CJ I'd be at her briefing."

"About Delores?"

"Yeah. It's not often CJ asks for support, as a matter of fact, I don't ever recall her asking for it, so I'm not about to let her down."

"She has." Abby corrected.

Josh didn't need to ask when the Press Secretary would have asked for support. He knew the First Lady was referring to a time when he'd been under the knife.

"Okay then, as long as you're not taking off because you'd feel uncomfortable." Abby replied.

Josh didn't bother telling her that of course he'd be uncomfortable eating breakfast with the First Family today of all days. He really didn't need to witness the President's personal grief. He felt the man should at least be given that dignity.

"Josh."

"Yes."

"Thank you for being there for our daughter. She was rather restless last night."

"You don't have to thank me, Mrs. B, I care a great deal for her and would do just about anything to ease her pain."

"Except sleep in her bed?"

"Ma'am?" Josh asked starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You slept on a couch when a perfectly comfortable bed was at your disposal. You're an honorable man, Josh Lyman."

"Sometimes, Ma'am."

"Now go meet Sam."

"Can I go to the press briefing first and maybe head home to clean up and change?" he teased.

Realizing she'd just been giving Josh orders Abby smiled, "Yes, you may."

"Thank you." He smiled back. When she turned to leave, Josh continued with, "Ma'am, I'm sorry for your loss."

Abby turned with tears in her eyes, "Thank you."

"How's the President?"

"He's hurting, but he'll be fine." She smiled weakly and left.

Later that evening Josh sat at his desk taking a call from the Governor of Illinois, he'd lost track of how many condolence calls he'd taken during the day that Leo had been unable to take. The First Lady had asked the switch board operators to put through all condolence calls to a family member or someone in a high ranking position to accept on behalf of the president; she didn't want anyone kind enough to call to be put on hold.

Josh was surprised when he looked up and saw the President standing in his doorway, "Thank you for calling, Dennis. I'll be sure to let the President know you did."

When Josh hung up the phone Jed shoved his hands into the front of his blue-jeans pockets and nodded his head at the phone, "Governor Mitchell?"

"Yes, Sir." Josh replied as he stood.

Jed took a seat as he said, "Thanks for sticking around and taking these calls, Josh. To be honest, your fielding them means more to me than the calls themselves."

"It's not a problem, Sir."

"Maybe not a problem, but an inconvenience. I know there's more pressing matters on your desk. Not to mention I'm sure you'd like nothing more than get home at some point today."

Jed became quiet and Josh left him be as he lowered himself back into his chair. He knew the President's appearance in his office wasn't a coincidence. "Is anyone else still around?" Josh finally asked, knowing the halls had quieted down a few hours previously.

"Leo, Toby and you. I sent everyone else home." Jed answered. "Listen, Josh, I know you and I are treading on new territory and it feels a bit awkward. At least I know it does to me."

"I agree."

"I think we need to set some ground rules or at least come to an understanding."

"Okay." Josh answered feeling both nervous and relieved that he and the President were finally having this talk. He knew it was needed, but he wasn't going to be the one to bring the subject to the table.

"First off, I want you to know I appreciate the loyalty and respect you showed both myself and the First Lady last night by sleeping on the sofa."

Josh said nothing but held eye contact with the president.

"All I can ask as a father is that you show my daughter the same loyalty and respect."

"Yes, Sir."

"Abby says she spoke to you this morning?"

"Yes, Sir."

"My wife speaks for the both of us, Josh. You'll always be welcome in our home, whether it's here or in Manchester. I know it's difficult with our positions, but Josh, when you are guest of Ellie's, you will never be dismissed. You will be treated and bestowed the same courtesies and respect as any other guest in our home. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Also, Josh, when we do find ourselves gathering in the residence outside of work, I'd really like you to drop my titles…"

"Sir…"

"I mean it, Josh, no Mr. President's and no Sir's."

"Okay, I'm not sure I'll be comfortable with it, but if that's your wish."

"It is. There is something else I came down here for; I'd appreciate it if you could be a pall bearer tomorrow."

Josh sat for a moment contemplating the events to take place the following day, the day they would all be saying goodbye to Mrs. L, "I'd be honored, Sir."

"Thank-you, she'd like that. Delores was fond of you, Josh, she once told me to keep a close eye on you." Jed smiled at the memory.

"Sir?" Josh questioned.

"She told me if I didn't, you just might take my job when I wasn't watching." Jed once again smiled.

Josh responded with his own smile before saying, "Setting high standards for me was she?"

"That she did, Josh, but you managed to live up to her most important one, which was to serve ones country to the best of ones abilities, which you do."

"Thank-you, Sir."

"Well, I'm going to go back upstairs now, otherwise Abby's likely to come searching for me." Jed said while getting out of his chair.

Josh rose with him, "Night, Sir."

"Good night, Josh, and once again thank-you."

"Your welcome, Mr. President."

**WW**

Having been dismissed from the meeting being held in the President's barn in Manchester Josh and Sam walked to up to the house hoping to find something quick to drink before settling down to work. They exchanged idol chitchat, as neither wanted to delve into their thoughts and feelings on the campaign they were gearing up for. Josh knew Sam still harbored deep seeded hurt and anger towards the president for his not disclosing his illness as well as a lack of an apology from President Barltet. He also knew some of what Sam was feeling lie in unresolved issues concerning Sam's own father. Josh just wished he had the words to help his friend feel better, but honestly he couldn't help himself over his own feelings let alone anyone else.

Then there was CJ, lord knew the Press Secretary was having a hard time at the moment. She had actually confided in Josh that she planned to resign. Josh did his best, pulled out all the stops trying to convince CJ she was still a valued member of the administration, but he knew his words had fallen on deaf ears. Some days he felt like such a fraud. How could he convince CJ to stay when he himself was feeling so low? He knew he'd blown big tobacco and as a result the election was going to be much closer than most people realized, as a matter of fact, he doubted even Leo and the President knew just how close.

The best friends reached the house and climbed onto the veranda walking through the doorway. They were both surprised but relieved to find Dr. Bartlet standing in the living room to their left.

"Hello boys." She chimed.

"Mrs. Bartlet." Sam greeted her.

"Mrs. B." Josh nodded his head. He found himself becoming more and more comfortable around the first lady these days. He'd been dating Ellie for months now and was spending more time with the first family on a casual basis.

"What brings you in?" She smiled.

"Water." Sam smiled back.

"Help yourself."

"Yes, Ma'am." Josh replied as they walked through the sitting room on their right and into the kitchen.

After raiding the refrigerator of two cold bottles of water the duo sat down in the sitting room where Bruno Gianelli sat making notes. They spoke in low tones discussing which states would be harder to win this time around, the only sound in the house coming from the hallway where footsteps sounded lightly on the staircase. Josh's face broke into a smile when Eleanor Bartlet came into view and turned the opposite way to join her mother in the living room across the hallway.

He hadn't seen her in weeks and had no idea she'd planned on being here today. He watched as she came to a stand still in front of Mrs. B. quietly commiserating before turning around to face him. Josh noticed the sparkle in her eyes and knew she was just as pleased to see him as he was of her.

When she'd finished with her mother, Ellie joined the campaign staffers in the sitting room. "Hi." She sidled up to Josh.

"Hey." He smiled up at her and absent-mindedly wrapped an arm around her hips.

"Hi, Sam."

"Ellie." Sam nodded taking in the relaxed composure of the couple.

"What brings you here?" Josh asked.

"My parents, you know, family time."

"Here long?" he asked.

"A few days, then I'm returning to Maryland to pack my things."

"Right, you're moving home for the summer."

"Hmm hmm."

"How's dinner sound?" He asked looking at his watch.

"Great."

"You don't mind, do you, Sam?" Josh looked over to his best friend who he'd made dinner plans with before he caught a glimpse of Bruno out of the corner of his eye.

"No, not at all." Sam looked at Ellie with a smile.

Bruno had remained quiet the entire time discreetly listening to the interchange between not only Josh and Sam, but also between Josh and Ellie when she arrived on the scene. He was trying to figure out if it was going to be possible to exploit or use the Deputy's relationship with the President's daughter in anyway during the campaign.

"Uh, Ellie, have you met Bruno?" Josh asked as he turned his head toward the third man.

"No."

"Ellie, Bruno Gianelli, political strategist and your dad's campaign director, Bruno, Eleanor Bartlet, the President's and First Lady's daughter." Josh introduced the two.

Bruno rose to his feet and stuck out his right hand saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eleanor." Just as Ellie slid her hand into his.

"Nice to meet you, Bruno, and please call me Ellie." She smiled.

"Will do, Ellie."

"Well, we need to get back to work." Josh frowned at her as he rose to his feet.

"Right, don't want dad thinking you're slacking." She looked at the three.

"We'll be leaving for dinner sometime around six-thirty."

"Kay, I guess I'll meet you on the veranda?" she asked.

"Sounds good." Josh leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"See you later. Bye, Same. Again, nice to meet you, Bruno." Ellie commented.

"Ellie." Bruno replied while taking his seat still contemplating Josh and Ellie's relationship.

**WW**

Dinner turned out to be an informal gathering of sorts of west wing staffers with Josh, Sam, and Ellie ending up sitting at the same table as Toby, CJ, Margaret, Charlie, Donna, and Bonnie. They ate at a local Manchester pub, with the owner; a burly man named Bob, taking up residence behind the bar. He came to their table half way through their meal when he recognized Ellie as the President's daughter. He'd wanted Ellie to enjoy her meal on the house, but she'd flatly refused his offer insisting on paying for her meal. The man had been persistent until Toby came to her defense making up some cockamamie story about a free meal for any member of the First Family being looked on as a bribe and certainly Bob wouldn't want to bring any harm to the President's bid for re-election. Bob backed down and retreated back to the bar, Ellie had been grateful to Toby and said as much to the head speechwriter whom she barely knew.

The group remained at the pub for a couple rounds of drinks after eating but finally broke up when Charlie returned to the farmhouse to see if the President needed his help with anything. Sam left to continue his long drawn out fight with Dough about the President's speech and Josh and Ellie left to spend some time together.

The duo strolled down the picturesque downtown street hand in hand chatting about their schedules and when they'd be able to see one another again. Ellie quickly realized all of Josh's time for the next few months was going to be centered around the re-election and therefore he'd have very little time if any for her. While the realization made her sad, the more time she spent with Josh the more respect and pride she was gaining for him. Especially as she came to understand that he didn't always agree with her father's positions on issues or policies, but always stood behind him publicly. It was dawning on her how her comment about the Surgeon General must have seemed like a slap in the face to her father. It also made her regret using the media to get to him instead of voicing her opinion privately to him, although it made her appreciate all the more that he hadn't fired Millicent. Her mother had pointed out to her that Josh had warned her father about how it would look to the public if he backed down because his daughter asked him to, but her father had done it anyway. The thought made her smile thinking that possibly her father wasn't as hard-nosed as she'd always believed him to be.

"You want to let me in?" She heard Josh ask.

She turned to look at him, "In where?"

"That pretty head of yours."

She smiled again, "I was just thinking about my dad."

"Then that smile is extra special."

His words just made her grin grow. "Let's go across the street." She nodded her head towards the park on the other side of the road.

"Uh kay."

The pair found themselves sharing the green expanse of lawn with other couples, and about a handful of young families, since it was still early in the evening. A few family dogs chased giggling children and a father and son tossed a Frisbee back and forth.

Ellie led Josh to a park bench where they sat down watching the commotion before them. "Our parents used to bring us here a lot when we were young. My mom would pack a lunch and we'd spend hours here playing or biking. Mostly biking." She snuggled into Josh's side.

Josh took in his surroundings, the green plush grass, pathways for cyclists, park benches, a couple of barbecue pits, picnic tables, and many trees to provide shade for hot sunny days. Placing his arm around Ellie's shoulders he said, "It's peaceful here. You must have loved being on the farm and coming into town."

Ellie slowly looked around the park, "I did and still do, for me it's always been like a security blanket. The people are friendly, life moves at a slower pace, and for the most part the residents respect our privacy, especially those who have been here a long time."

The two sat quietly for minutes watching the father and son playing with the Frisbee, Josh gently caressing Ellie's shoulder. The sun was beginning to set making the scene look like a postcard. Finally, Ellie broke their silence; "Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Sure." Josh answered.

"Remember the day the picture of us ran in the Post and you were being questioned by Oliver?"

"Yeah."

"You mentioned something about being fired? Has my dad fired you?"

Josh smiled, "Technically, yes."

Ellie's eyes became huge, "Why?"

"Do you remember me making the news a few years back because of something I'd said on live television to Mary Marsh?"

"Yeah." Ellie couldn't help but chuckle remembering his derogatory comment about her god being indicted for tax evasion, she also remembered how she hoped the story would run for days because each time news programs or newspapers brought it up they'd show a picture of Josh. She also knew her father must have been livid over such a remark. She certainly hadn't envied Josh over that one.

"Well, your dad told Leo to fire me, but Leo kept that information to himself."

"Really! Leo didn't follow orders?"

"Nope."

"Wow! Leo must really like you; he and my dad go way back. They're the best of friends."

"I know. Leo and my dad also went way back. Leo brought me into the first campaign."

"So you've known Leo a long time." She stated more than asked.

"Most of my life."

"Hmm."

"What's your other question?"

"Hold on, so how come my dad didn't fire you himself?"

"I don't know?"

"Did he read you the riot act?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just told me not to do it again."

Ellie's memory immediately went back to the picture of Josh and her dad in his apartment and smiled, "It would seem Mr. that my dad respects you a great deal." With that she gave him a quick kiss. "Okay, my other question. You ready? I mean, you don't have to answer it. You can tell me to mind my own business and I will, it's just…"

"Ellie."

"Yeah?"

"Just ask the question already."

"Okay…it's something else you said that same day. You mentioned being ordered into therapy? Did my dad do that?"

"No…well, he would have but Leo beat him to it."

"Why? Are you okay?"

Josh took a sigh before answering. "I'm doing okay, but I struggle sometimes."

Ellie looked him in the eye; "Rosslyn?" was all she said.

"Yeah. I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but I'm doing okay."

Ellie just starred at him for a few seconds, "That makes sense, most people who've been…" she pause for a long time so Josh said the word for her.

"Shot."

"Yeah, most people would have stress related issues. How come you had to be ordered to seek help?"

"Well, it seems kid of crazy now, but no one suggested to me that I might need help coping with the after math, I mean, I should have at least talked to my own psychiatrist about it."

"Your own?" Ellie interrupted with a surprised tone.

"Yeah. I have a previous issue to work on." He shrugged. Seeing the concern streak across her face Josh decided the time had come to confide in her. "My sister died when we were young."

Ellie sat stunned before replying, "Oh, Josh, I'm sorry."

"It was an accident."

Seeing a small flicker of pain cross his face brought tears to Ellie's eyes. She blinked, hoping to hold them at bay.

"Don't cry, it was a long time ago. Nothing I can do can change it now." Seeing the unanswered question in her welled up eyes, he continued, "My parents had gone out and Joanie was babysitting me. There was a fire, I ran out and she didn't."

"Oh my god, Josh! How awful, I'm so sorry." With that the tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"Ellie, please don't cry." Josh reached up with both hands and wiped away her tears before bringing her face to his for a lingering kiss. After which Ellie decided to change the topic somewhat.

"My dad still has nightmares."

Josh processed this information but didn't know what to do with it. The admission didn't surprise him as he occasionally had them himself. He wasn't comfortable knowing the President still suffered from the shooting. He knew the man was human, even infallible, but Josh felt the President of the United States deserved his privacy, especially where his staff was concerned, but over the last few months Josh had found himself exactly where the President had warned him he'd be. Josh was no longer just the Deputy Chief of Staff, he was a friend of the family. Someone who could drop the Sir and title of Mr. President when speaking to the man away from the office during personal time. It continued to feel awkward, but Josh respected the President's wishes and called the man by his given name, or rather his nickname of Jed when he attended a family gathering. He'd slipped up a few times but the older man had been gracious enough not to correct him.

"I can't imagine losing one of my sisters." Ellie said. "Were you okay, did you suffer any burns?" she asked.

"No, a little smoke inhalation, a whole lot of grief and even more quilt." Josh admitted.

"Oh, Josh, you shouldn't. You said yourself you were young. She was babysitting you not the other way around. Trust me, if I'd been in the same situation with Zoey, and only one of us was destined to make it out. I'd want it to be her. I'm sure your sister would feel the same way."

"And I'm sure Zoey would share my thoughts and feelings. We both should have made it out, Ellie. It's hard to live with sometimes."

Ellie didn't say any more, she chose instead to embrace him in her arms. For the first time since they'd begun dating months ago, she was seeing an even softer side to him. A vulnerable side and she wanted nothing more than to take his obvious pain away. It physically hurt knowing she couldn't.

"Let's get out of here." She finally said when she felt him lessening his hold on her. They strolled along the quaint street, doing some window shopping until reaching the street that the senior staff's hotel was on. As they walked past a small pub he asked, "you wanna stop for a drink?"

She leaned into him replying, "No. I just wanna spend some alone time with you. Now that school is over maybe we'll be able to see more of one another."

"We can only hope, but don't count on it," he pulled her closer to his side, seeing her questioning look he said, "Your dad's about to launch his run for re-election. I'm gonna be on the road a lot."

Smiling up at him, Ellie replied, "Well, lucky for us, I'm in a position to legitimately join the road tour once in a while, you know, to show him my support and campaign for and with him."

Josh's only reply was a smile as they walked into the foyer of the hotel and approached the reception desk. He explained to the hotel staff who the two people with he and Ellie were and explained that they would be required to hang around in the hallways and if possible be given a room on his floor, before he and Ellie ascended the stairs to his room. He fished out his key and handed it over to Molly, Ellie's secret service agent that had been hovering discreetly around them. They waited in the hallway while Molly secured his room. Once given the okay, Josh took his key back and once the couple was through the doorway he wrapped his arms around her bringing her against his body, kicking the door shut behind him with his foot. Ellie allowed her self to be folded into his arms and leaned further back into him. Before the door even clicked shut she felt his hands slip under her shirt and slide their way up to her breasts. She lifted her arms reaching up to touch Josh's face. It was at times like this she wished she were taller than her five feet four inches, she longed to run her hands through his hair, but couldn't reach beyond his lower jaw. She had learned to be patient though, as the couple usually found themselves in a more conducive position for her to launch into a full body caress of his body.

Josh's fingers quickly found her erect nipples through her lacy bra and instantly began to bring her pleasure.

"Hmm, that feels good! It's been too long." She purred.

"I agree." Josh moaned as he undid the clasp sitting between her breasts freeing them from their confinement as well as allowing both Ellie and Josh the pleasant feel of skin on skin.

Josh however, didn't waste time in shedding her shirt at which time she turned to face him. He wrapped his arms around her and began to walk towards the bed. Ellie felt her backside hit the bed and felt it was one of those massive things where a girl of her stature needed a step stool just to climb into it. She couldn't even sit on the mattress without lifting herself up onto it. For now however, she was more concerned with removing Josh's unbuttoned beige corduroy coat and dress shirt underneath it. The jacket fell to the floor as she began to undo his shirt buttons. Josh was busy as well, with one had he continued to fondle her left breast, while with the other hand he set about undoing the button on her jeans. He managed to do just that with little effort before unzipping her fly, while she started on the buttons of his dress shirt.

Suddenly she remembered her father's campaign, "should you be working right now?" She asked when she pulled her mouth away from his.

"Possibly, but I'm sure Bruno and Leo have things under control and they have my pager number if they need me for something."

"Josh?"

"It's okay, Ellie, stop worrying." He smiled.

"Okay." She smiled in kind as she parted his shirt revealing his muscular chest before placing feather light kisses on it. This brought a groan from Josh and also inspired his hands to once again cup her breasts and begin to knead.

At times like this Ellie still fought to remember it was real and not just some fantasy she'd concocted. She and Josh had been dating for many months now and he was still giving her multiple orgasms, which had originally surprised her as she'd never experienced them before, so she'd chalked it up to her pent up years of desiring him. Now, she had to admit it was partially Josh himself. The man knew exactly how to please her. She'd been skeptical when he'd told her he wasn't completely sure when he'd completely satisfied her, as she had a hard time believing he hadn't brought all his former girlfriends the same multiple pleasures.

She was brought out of her inner thoughts when his hands began a downward journey to her open jeans, which he took between his fingers, including her panties and slid them down her hips and still downward along with himself. Kneeling on the floor, his face was level with her womanhood. She groaned from the anticipation alone, but immediately sucked in a deep breath when she felt his lips gently kissing her.

She leaned back against the bed, resting her bent elbows on the mattress. "Josh." She panted when she felt his tongue begin to circle her clitoris, god she loved how open and free she felt with Josh sexually. She still sometimes felt embarrassed by some of their actions, but for the first time in her young life she felt complete trust in her partner. She also looked upon sex as an expression of love and caring between two people now and not just a way to feel good physically. That was the other reason she imagined she experienced multiple orgasms with Josh. Although feeling good certainly was a wonderful bonus and she supposed its intensity actually came from being in love with the man currently on bended knees suckling her erect nub.

At this point he brought his hands up and began playing with her nipples, this deed combined with his lower actions quickly brought her release, which turned out to be somewhat violent and noisy. That was one of the things that could embarrass her, knowing that quite possibly her and Josh's secret service detail hovering outside their room could hear her and know what was going on inside the room. That's why she always felt the most comfortable and relaxed when they spent the evening together at Josh's brownstone. Then they could be as loud as they wanted to without wondering if they were being overheard as the agents remained outside his door and not just his bedroom door.

When trying to regain her senses she realized Josh meant busy as he gave her no time to recoup as she felt him lean against her and take her left nipple into his mouth. She could also feel the bulge in his pants against her belly and concluded from the excitement it produced in her that she was just as wanting as he obviously was so quickly undid and removed his jeans. A second orgasm ripped through her body with the combined pleasure of his suckling on her nipple and the feel of his flesh, mostly his penis, pressed against her naked form.

"I need a condom." He suddenly moaned by way of explanation when he removed his body from hers.

"Kay." She once again panted, still trying to regain her normal breathing patterns as she watched him extract a square foil from his wallet and rip it open. He quickly rolled it onto his engorged member and started back towards her, pure lust emanating from his eyes as he looked at her. Her stomach flipped and her entire body began to tingle. It'd been some time since they'd been able to spend any time together.

When he reached her he placed his hands on her small waist and lifted her onto the bed knowing she would need the help. She scrambled into a comfortable position at the head of the bed and waited for Josh to join her, which barely took a few seconds. He lay down beside her and the two were soon engrossed in each other. With Josh's tongue circling the peak of her breast, Ellie's hand was fondling Josh's scrotum, resulting in moans and groans emanating from them both. When Ellie couldn't handle the longing and quite frankly, the frustration any longer, she took Josh's member into her hand and guided him to her pulsating womanhood.

"Getting impatient?" Josh asked as he poised himself above her.

"Incredibly."

"I can take care of…"

"Josh, quit talking and take me now."

"Yes, ma'am." He lowered himself down and slowly penetrated her.

Ellie arched up off the bed and moaned his name. Continuing to watch her, Josh began his thrusting motion, ever so slowly. He could feel as well as see she was close to her release and continued his slow movements despite her encouragement through her own hip action to fasten their pace. He had no idea why, but he wanted it slow and sensual. He figured the reason being they hadn't seen each other in a while and felt the need to connect with a tender round of love making before a fast and frenzied coupling he was sure would come later, when they'd both recovered from their first romp.

When he felt her vaginal walls start to contract around him, Josh closed his eyes and concentrated on not losing it before her, as he too, was close. He continued his slow thrusts and listened to Ellie's breathing become labored and heavy. The sound was enthralling and only served to turn him on even more. When her body started to convulse and she let out a wild cry of pleasure he opened his eyes again and watched the immense gratification wash over her face, that's when Josh lost it. He quickly joined her with his own convulsions and sounds of pleasure, although if someone listening to him didn't know what sort of activity he was partaking in, they might assume he was in pain. Of course his voiced, "that feels good" mumbled during his orgasm would surely tip the listener into knowing they were cries of sexual indulgence.

When he came back down to reality, he slowly withdrew himself and rolled off of Ellie onto his back, taking her with him. Her head lay in the crock of his shoulder; her left leg lay on top of his and her arm across his chest. His upper arm lay underneath her with is upper arm free allowing his hand to draw slow feather light circles on her lower back, making her shiver every once in a while.

"I've missed you." He managed when he'd finally regained his breath.

"So it would seem." Ellie replied, having figured out long ago that when Josh was in need of a deep connection he liked to remain in control of their actions and always preferred a slow sensual union. Which always brought her close to tears for some reason. Tonight was no different. She sensed his actions tonight were connected somehow to his admission of guilt concerning his sister. Her heart ached to think of the small child he must have been when having to deal with his guilt and grief over losing his sister in such a tragic manor.

Her heart was also filled the rim with a love so deep for the man she didn't know how much longer she could go without actually telling him as such. She knew Josh cared about her, but love? She doubted it. Not once had he even come close to uttering those words and so she followed his lead, not wanting to scare him off. But as every month passed by, it was becoming harder and harder to hide those feelings. She wanted tell him, and not just show him, how much she loved him. Actually, the intensity she felt toward Josh scared even her self. She realized a few months back that although she'd had previous boyfriends and loved them, she'd never been in love with them. Josh, she was definitely in love with.

"You okay?" he broke into her private thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked up into his face.

He kissed her with such soft gentle lips her breath hitched.

"You sure you're okay?" He looked down at her and immediately became concerned. "Ellie, what's wrong? You hurt?" He asked watching a single tear pool in her one eye.

"No. I'm fine." She blinked.

"Ellie, what is it?"

"Nothing."

Josh knew better than to pry any further. Ellie continually baffled him. Many times over the months she'd be close to tears after they'd had sex and it caused him a lot of strife and if he were honest with himself, he'd admit many a sleepless nights worrying about her. He was learning to trust her when she said she wasn't hurt or in pain, but he was slowing allowing himself to believe those things were only physically true. She was hurting emotionally, he'd bet a month's salary on that, but he didn't know how to get her to open up. She was funny that way. Very open with her thoughts and opinions, and yet she could remain closed in other areas, such as her emotions. He knew she'd been touched by his story about the loss of his sister, Joanie, she was an emotional woman. It was one of the things he found the most attractive about her. Though he didn't like it when she cried or came close to it. He never knew exactly how to comfort her. Yet, he liked her warmth way too much to ever consider ever power dating again. Actually, he never thought about anyone other than Ellie when it came to the opposite sex. That was certainly a first.

"I need to take this off." He said as he climbed out of the bed and into the bathroom.

"Actually, I think I'd like to take a bath." She said as she slid off the bed and joined him in the bathroom. "I went for a hike today with my mom and sisters and I think my legs are starting to feel it." She sat on the edge of the old claw footed bathtub and turned on the taps. She let her hand dangle underneath the running water and adjusted the water temperature. "You see any bubble bath?" she asked.

With the condom removed and washing his hand under the sink faucets, he replied, "Yeah, there's a small bottle in a basket over here." He turned with it in his hands and gave it to her.

"You wanna join me?" She asked while letting the thick liquid pour out of the bottle and mix with the running water.

Ellie watched as Josh's eyes clouded over, "Sure." He said.

"This is nice." Josh commented when the two were seated in the tub, he with his back against the back of the tub and Ellie sitting between his legs, her back resting against his chest. He had his arms wrapped around her, his eyes closed and resting his head against the tub's rim.

"Hmm." Ellie added. With her own eyes closed she placed her head on his shoulder. "I've never taken a bath with anyone before." She admitted.

"Really?"

"Well, except you know, Zoey when we were kids."

"Kinky."

She could hear the smile in his voice and elbowed him slightly in the stomach with her elbow. "You're sick."

"Every man's fantasy, sisters." He continued to tease.

"You know, I'm sure your boss would frown upon your line of thinking." She teased back. She loved how quickly her comfort level with Josh had grown and allowed her to banter with him. It reminded her of the comfort she felt with her younger sister.

"I'm sure my boss wouldn't want to know my line of thinking on any number of topics, not just my perverted thoughts about his daughter."

"Don't you mean daughters?"

"No. There's only one daughter that takes my mind there." Just as his hands began to migrate upwards towards her breasts, his beeper could be heard in the other room. "Shit." He exclaimed as he quickly removed himself from the tub and dripping water in his wake walked into the other room.

Ellie moved herself backward and rested her back where Josh's had been only seconds before. She turned her head and looked back into the hotel room watching him fumble with is pants and unclipping his beeper from his belt. He fiddled with the gadget as he sat on the bed. He picked up the telephone receiver on the nightstand and dialed a number.

"Hey, it's Josh."

Ellie continued to watch as he talked on the phone. From his end of the conversation she figured it was Leo on the other end. Josh nodded his head once in a while, frowned his forehead a couple of times and then gave Leo some names before hanging up. He got up off the bed and returned to the bathroom.

"You don't need to go?" she asked. She'd learned very early on that Josh could be called back to work at any hour of the day or night.

"No." he answered lifting his eyebrows motioning her to slide forward so he could rejoin her in the tub. She did as he commanded and leaned back into him when he settled himself behind her.

"Good. I want to be selfish with your time and not feel guilty about it."

"For now, you've got it, but I can't promise anything." He answered.

"I know." She replied as she once again lowered her head onto his shoulder.

Once again Josh's hands came up to her breasts and this time, luckily, he wasn't pulled away. He cupped her breasts squeezing and kneading. She immediately felt a tingling sensation between her legs, closed her eyes, and moaned. At the sound, she felt Josh's organ harden against her back. She felt both of his thumbs run across her nipples and then his hands disappeared into the water. They quickly returned cupped with water, which he poured over her bust and once again cupped her. His wet thumbs running across her now wet nipples. The sensation was different from before and delightfully pleasing.

"Josh." She groaned.

"Hmm?" He nipped her throat.

She tilted her head away from him, giving him better access. Just as her hands began to knead his thighs he took her peaks between his thumbs and forefingers and tweaked, pulled, and rolled her nubs. The tingling between her legs intensified and she cried out. Thrusting her chest forward. She opened her eyes and looked down at her chest. She'd discovered in this relationship that she often liked to watch what Josh was doing to her. It heightened her excitement level, which in turned heightened her ultimate pleasure. She continued to watch his fingers pleasuring her. Her pleasure was continuing to build higher and higher and she finally lost it when Josh whispered in her ear how beautiful she was.

She once again slumped against his chest and felt his right hand come between her legs while his left once again began to fondle her breast. Instinctively she spread her legs as far apart as the tub would allow and one of Josh's fingers found her opening. "Oh." She gasped at the swiftness at its entrance between her folds. While exploring her, his thumb reached up and began to rub against her clitoris. Being fully submerged in a water filled bathtub while being fingered was an entirely new sensation for her, one she was quickly learning to enjoy immensely. All of a sudden Josh's penetrated finger was rubbing a very sensitive spot. She cried out, "Oh my god, Josh," and immediately came with an enormous force leaving her entire body numb.

When she recovered her senses, Josh was holding her tightly to his body. Her body had regained feeling and she suddenly felt like an idiot. She tried to get out of the bathtub and away from Josh, but he retained his hold on her.

"Hey, where you going?" he asked, sounding baffled by her need for a sudden exit.

"I…I…we need to get out of here." She continued to struggle against his hold.

"Ellie, calm down, what has you so anxious to get away. I know it's been a while, but if memory serves me correctly, you enjoy snuggling after achieving and orgasm."

"Josh, we need to get out. We can snuggle in the bed."

"Why? Water turned too cold, we can add more…"

Ellie closed her eyes and wished he would just listen to her. Sometime the man was a pain the behind. She decided honesty was the only way she was going to get them out of the tub. "Josh, I peed in the tub."

Ellie waited for his disgusted response but none came. As a matter of fact he remained quiet for a long time before he once again pulled her back against his body, "Ellie, you didn't urinate."

"Yes, I did. Let's get…"

She was unable to finish her sentence as Josh cut her off again, "Ellie, you ejaculated."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Josh…" she didn't know what else to say. She'd always heard a woman capable of such an act but had never experienced it first hand. "Oh." She finally managed to squeak out. "I'd still like to get out. Maybe take a shower."

"Kay." he replied, "I'll join you."

"Josh, you're incorrigible."

"I try." He smiled at her as they removed themselves from the tub and she pulled the plug. "I'd really like to wash." She added red faced.

"Kay." He grabbed her around the waist before she could get to the shower stall. "Don't be embarrassed, Ellie. That was incredibly sexy."

"I…I…I've never…" she stammered unable to say the words.

"You can't say that anymore." He smiled, bringing a smile to her face as well.

"No, I guess I can't."

The couple took a quick shower with nothing sexual going on between them other than the foreplay caused by washing each other's body with a bar of soap. Showering with a partner Ellie was familiar with and therefore was comfortable with the act.

They didn't bother getting dressed when they climbed back into bed, each knowing that their night together was far from over. They managed to make love two more times, both times performed with more wild abandon than their earlier encounter, Josh having found Ellie's G-spot had proven a wildly exciting aphrodisiac and he'd been unable to find the strength to take his time. Finally the couple found contentment snuggling in each other's arms. As always, they found themselves with Josh on his back, although propped up against the headboard this time, and Ellie snuggled up to his chest. They lay together, Ellie absent-mindedly running her finger across Josh's scar.

"What you thinking about?" Ellie asked as she listened to the steady sound of his heartbeat.

"Will you be angry if I say work?"

"No. I've come to accept it as a sort of mistress."

Josh smiled at her words. They were the same words his mother often used when describing his work.

"What's the deal with Bruno?" she asked.

Josh took his time before answering her honestly. "We need help."

"That's ridiculous! You got my dad elected once, you guys can do it again." She argued.

"We weren't pissed at him the first time." He replied honestly.

This time Ellie took her time before responding and when she did, she lifted herself up and looked him in the eye. "You're still angry?"

"Yeah, we are. I know it's childish but some things take time to heal. His lying to us…"

"Josh…"

"Let me finish, he lied by omission, and we got over it temporarily when Mrs. Landingham died, but Ellie, he still has yet to apologize…."

"Why should he? He did nothing wrong!"

"An apology would still be nice. I mean, I probably would have stuck with the campaign the first time, as I believe in your father, but what if I hadn't? I never would have been shot, would I?"

Ellie's eye dropped to his chest taking in his scar. She sucked in her lips; something she did when she didn't know how to respond to something, Josh was learning. Her eyes finally came back up to meet his. "So everyone is looking for an apology based on a bunch of what ifs?" she asked.

"Seems silly, but yeah. Plus, we all feel like we deserve better, Ellie. In the end we all feel like you father didn't trust us."

"For that I'm sorry, Josh, I truly am, but I still believe in an individuals right to privacy concerning their health. I don't think it's something we'll ever agree on."

"It's okay. We're allowed to have differing opinions, that too, is a right we all have." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headboard.

"You okay? Is that all you're thinking about?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess."

"And Bruno?" She asked once again. "Does it bother you having him around."

"Honestly, no. I know everyone else is upset about it, but if they were truly honest with themselves they would admit we need the help this time around. If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone, not even Zoey? I wouldn't want it getting back to Charlie."

"Yeah."

"I asked Leo to bring in Bruno and his crew and to keep it hush, hush that it was at my request."

"You did?"

Josh nodded his head in the affirmative. "I don't want anyone else on staff to know that I don't have one hundred percent faith in us, but we can't do it alone this time. I think Leo would have eventually made the move on his own, but he would have allowed us to try and that may have put your father's re-election into further jeopardy."

Ellie lowered her head back onto Josh's chest and once again listened to his heartbeat. "Just when I think I know you, Josh, you throw me a curve ball. I can understand why my father came to his senses and didn't fire you and thank god for that I say."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely, there's no one else I would have wanted to share my first bath experience with and of course, I definitely know I didn't want anyone else finding my G-spot."

Josh could feel her face burning against his chest as she said those last words and took comfort in the fact that she could still remain somewhat innocent with him. He found it refreshing, a turn on, and hoped she wouldn't change in that way. Who knew he would find such a gem in Ellie Bartlet? He really should be thanking his lucky stars every day. She was a beautiful woman, had a gorgeous body, was bold enough to perform oral sex on him that first night in his apartment, remained sexually open, continued to enjoy multiple orgasms, and yet happened to feel shy at not having as much experience as himself.

And yet, he couldn't help but feel sometimes that he was letting her down in some way, but didn't know how? He wished she'd open up more outside of the bedroom as well. When it came to her feelings, she held them close to her heart. He hoped that the more and more he opened up to her about his personal life, such as his PTSD, Joanie, and letting her know he still felt hurt concerning her father, that she would take his lead and slowly open up to him as well. He couldn't help but think her lack of openness was somehow connected to her having had romantic feelings for him for years without being able to express them. She'd learned to bottle them up and she was taking her time letting them out. The thing that continued to bother him was he instinctively knew her apprehension in this area stemmed from protecting herself. Protecting her self from him. As he still believed he could hurt her deeply. It was a fear he himself held and it physically hurt.

**WW**

The following morning Ellie slowly woke and realized she was alone in the huge four poster bed. She stretched, yawned, then sat up rubbing her face before forking her fingers through her hair. That's when she noticed Josh sitting in the green wing back chair situated near the foot of the bed. He'd managed to clothe himself in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, she remained nude from their activities the previous evening and well into the early morning hours. She found herself concerned about him. Something wasn't right with him, he just sat there starring into space.

"Morning." She said while climbing out of the bed.

"Morning." He replied in a quiet voice.

Ellie thought he looked rough and immediately her nurturing side came out. She plopped herself into his lap and took his head between her hands starring into his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Once again, his response was in a very low voice.

When he didn't comment on her nudity or even attempt to begin any sexual activity she knew something was definitely bothering him, what she didn't know, but he did look as though he'd gotten very little sleep. Instead of pestering him to open up, she planted a kiss on his cheek and removed herself from his lap moving into the bathroom to take care of some early morning business. She'd only been in the tiny room a few seconds when she heard a knock on the hotel room door.

"Come in." she heard Josh's response to the sound and wondered if he even noticed she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Great, she thought, I'm stuck in a bathroom and can't even move to close the door. She soon found herself eavesdropping on a conversation between Josh and his ever-reliable assistant, Donna Moss.

"You're suppose to be downstairs." Donna said.

"Yeah."

"You're not ready?"

"We're blowing this RU-486 thing."

"You've gotta get in the shower."

"Among everything else, it's gonna look like we're kicking off the campaign by pandering to women's groups."

"Josh…"

"Yeah, no question about it. Most voters are pro choice but the one's who aren't, are gonna devote their lives and their money to beating you. Guns don't kill you, Bartlet does. It's gonna look like we screwed up the timing so the press is going to write about process and not about issues, and getting political reporters to write about issues in the first place is like getting kids to eat their vegetables."

"You've gotta shave."

"Don't you wanna know how it's like getting kids to eat their vegetables?"

"Shave and shower." Donna continued to insist which Ellie noticed Josh continued to ignore.

"It helps if there's nothing else on their plate."

"You couldn't sleep?" So Donna noticed, too, Ellie thought.

"No, I could stop this thing. One phone call, the president's not even involved. Could you guys do us a favor? Could you hold off two weeks? We love your drug but we don't want it folded into our news cycle."

Ellie continued to stay silent in the bathroom but wanted to run into the bedroom and try and calm Josh down when she heard his voice was raising.

"I could have picked up the phone. I could have picked up the phone…I"

Donna jumped in trying to stop his rant. "Josh…"

The next thing Ellie knew Josh was in her sight at the bathroom doorframe which he slammed his open hand into and saying, "God!" Then he leaned his back against the doorframe and became quiet, but the agony on his face broke Ellie's heart.

"What's this about?" Donna asked him calmly.

Ellie noticed Josh's chest was heaving a bit and he was breathing hard. He took a sigh before answering with; "I blew the tobacco thing. That could have helped us. That was…" he stood silent for a moment. "It's going to be a very close election." He told Donna before turning and walking into the bathroom. "I've gotta take a shower." He said before closing the door behind him.

She stood starring at him and noticed he didn't want to make eye contact with her. He managed this by peeling of his T-shirt and striding up to the pedestal sink, which he placed his hands on either side of and leaned into starring down into the basin. Once he'd taken a moment he raised his head looking into the mirror.

Ellie came to stand behind him and wrapped her arms around him, placing her hands on his chest and her cheek against his bare back. She could feel his heart rate and knew it was pumping hard. She could understand why, he was upset with himself for some reason. He felt he'd blown something and it was going to affect the outcome of the election. Knowing him as well as she did, she knew it was eating away at him slowly, so perhaps his blowup was a good thing. He needed to let it out.

"I'm sorry." He said after a moment.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I got angry and briefly lost control. I shouldn't have." He turned around and took her in his arms kissing the top of her head. "I scared you."

"No…"

"Ellie, I'm not blind, I saw you flinch."

"I just wasn't expecting…you…it surprised me." She tried to let him off the hook by changing the subject; "Did you get any sleep?"

"Half an hour maybe."

"Josh…"

"Ellie, don't start okay. I had things on my mind I'm fine. Once I clean myself up I'll look brand new." He smiled at her.

"Sorry, I just…it comes naturally to me. Just like you can look at any given situation and figure out what the political ramifications will be, I see what health issues will or can arise. Especially when it involves someone I love…" she stopped for a brief moment then added, "or care about."

Josh didn't bat an eyelash at her words and let Ellie gracefully sidestep what she'd just let slip. He knew she'd meant what she'd said. He pulled her into an embrace again and kissed her forehead. "Listen, I really need to get downstairs or Leo will have my hide."

"Of course. I just need to get dressed and then I'll head back to the house to get ready for dad's announcement and speech. I'll see you there?"

"Count on it."

Ellie removed herself from Josh's arms and retreated back into the bedroom. As she gathered her clothing off the floor and began to put them on, she couldn't help but wonder if Donna had noticed her stuff strewn about. Once she was dressed she gathered her purse and yelled out to Josh, "See you later, Josh."

"Kay."

Ellie made her way to the main level of Josh's hotel, which looked more like a B&B to her, and was surprised to see so many people milling about. She'd almost made it to the front entrance when she heard a familiar voice speaking to her.

"Good morning, Eleanor."

She turned to greet the man behind the voice, "Morning, Leo." She smiled weakly, feeling oddly like a kid who'd just been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"You heading over to the farm?" Leo asked.

"Yes."

"Why don't you tag along with me. I could use the company."

"Sure." She glanced at her secret service detail making sure they had heard Leo's offer. They had.

Once the couple was on the road Leo said, "I trust Josh was up."

"Yeah, he's been up for a while. I think he's in some kind of funk."

"I've noticed. I've decided to leave him be for now. If he needs help, he'll eventually ask for it. I least I think and hope he will."

"Me, too."

The two remained silent for a mile or so before Ellie broke the quiet. "I don't think I'm helping."

Leo looked at the younger woman he'd known since her birth, "Why would you think that?"

She took a deep breath before responding, "I'm not exactly sure, but I think we've come to that place…you know…that place?" she emphasized the word.

"The next level." Leo nodded his head.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good way to describe it. I'm not so sure we're both there, but I am and Josh is kind of freaked out I think."

"Probably." Leo chortled. "Listen, Ellie, Josh likes to move slow with personal relationships and whatever you're feeling may not be one sided, but he doesn't know what to do with his feeling just yet. Give him some time and let him analyze what he's feeling. It may take some time and may take an abundant amount of patience on your part, but I think eventually you'll be rewarded for you staying power."

"I'd like to think so, but what about how I'm feeling, Leo? Should I continue to suppress it? I'm totally confused. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I'm a little scared."

"That's natural, Ellie. As far as your feelings, I don't think you should hide them or lock them away. Don't overdo it, but don't hold back so much. Josh is a pretty smart guy and has tremendous instincts about people, so he probably already knows how you feel. He's most likely just as scared as you, maybe even more so. Despite the charmed life Josh seems to live, parents who adored, loved, and took great pride in him, family friends who do the same, an Ivy league education, intelligence, a pivotal position in his country's government, a pretty girlfriend," Leo smiled at Ellie then added, "looks are often deceiving."

Ellie looked at Leo and confessed, "He told me about his sister."

Leo turned and looked at his companion for a brief moment before looking back toward the road, "He did?" He couldn't hide his shock.

"Yeah. It's heartbreaking, did you know him then?"

This time Leo remained quiet for some time before responding, "Yes. It was unbearably sad. Josh was so lost and confused, and sometimes still is. Especially when it comes to his personal relationships, but given time he usually finds his footing. Time is crucial though."

"Leo, are you one of those family friend who loves, adores, and takes great pride in him?" Ellie smiled at the man she'd known her entire life.

Again Leo chuckled, "You could say that."

"Does he ever drive you crazy?"

"At least twice a day."

Ellie laughed at Leo's confession before saying, "I let the love word slip out this morning." she suddenly confided.

Leo reached over and took her hand in his, "Don't stress over it, Ellie. As much as I hate to admit this, Josh is a mature caring man, he's not about to run for the hills as you might think. You're the President's daughter, Josh isn't foolish enough to date you without being serious about you and that my dear, includes having to accept that you just might love him and aren't afraid to say so." He let go of her hand just as he pulled up to her parent's farmhouse.

**WW**

Back at the hotel Josh stepped out of the shower and returned to the bedroom to put on the suit Donna and laid out for him. As he pulled his belt through his trouser loops, his mind wandered to Ellie's statement earlier in the morning. She may not have actually said those three magic words of I love you, but that's exactly what she'd meant when she'd said, "involves someone I love", and as usual when a woman confessed such feelings to him, he remained silent, stoic if you will, usually out of kindness. Not wanting to make a joke out of those words, but not feeling the need to return the affirmation. This time was different. Ellie brought out feelings in him that he couldn't readily identify and he was beginning to wonder if those combined feelings were indeed love. Well, that wasn't exactly right, he was pretty sure he cared about Eleanor Bartlet enough to love her, he was wondering if he could actually be in love with her. This is what confused him.

He'd actually noticed a shift in Ellie about a month previous and had grown to understand that she was there, at the L word, but didn't know whether or not she should use it. He chose to ignore his realization about her feelings in order to allow himself time to analyze his own feelings. He'd actually been thankful when his schedule grew far too busy for him to see Ellie, which regulated their relationship to a smattering of quick phone calls, but even so, he still sensed her wanting to end their conversations with those three little words that held enormous meaning. Instead they each used the old standbys of "I miss you," or "Take care of yourself", or "See you soon."

The relationship had reached a point where he would normally turn into a first class ass. Hoping his behavior would scare who ever the woman in his life away because he was afraid; afraid of losing the very people he loved. He hadn't really noticed he did this until Leo had pointed it out a while back, but once Josh did some soul searching he had to admit Leo had been bang in his observation.

His behavior today had been appalling, it'd been more about he and Ellie than about big tobacco and somehow, Donna had sensed there was something deeper going on even when he tried to tell her about his failure with big tobacco. Sure he'd blown it and it could very well affect the election's outcome, but his outburst had been the anger he felt at himself over Ellie and his continual blind eye to her feelings. She deserved better than he was giving, but damn it, he was scared. Becoming slightly violent and scaring Ellie sure as hell wasn't the answer he'd been seeking all night though. Here he was afraid of losing her and yet he was falling into his old pattern of pushing her away. Yes it was official he was a jackass. Decidedly he needed help with this problem of his but he didn't know who to turn to for help.


	6. Chapter 6

Upon her return to the farmhouse, Ellie had immediately gone to her room and picked out an outfit to wear to her father's speech, officially launching his run for re-election. After picking out a pair of black dress pants and an ivory coloured sheer blouse with a lacy collar, and a matching ivory camisole, she took a quick shower wishing she could take a long relaxing bath instead. She wanted time not only to soothe her aching muscles which she was sure were sore not only from her hike the previous day, but also from the night of repeated lovemaking she'd spent with Josh. Not that she was complaining, she thought herself lucky to not only have found a rather attentive lover, but Josh also had stamina, something she didn't realize she was missing from her previous younger lovers. She also wanted the luxury of a soak in a bubble bath to absorb the past twenty-four hours. She was happy Josh had opened up regarding certain things in his personal life, but her gut was telling her something was wrong and not just in his professional life. Sure he'd opened up to Donna confessing he'd blown something or other, but there was more going on, she just didn't know what exactly.

Once she was clothed in her outfit she opened her suitcase taking out her cosmetic bag. She began to apply a little make up to her face but quickly gave up. The lighting in her room was terrible. She shoved her things back into the makeup bag and marched down the hallway only to hear the shower running behind the closed bathroom door, so continued down the hallway to her parent's room. She knocked on the door and received no answer. She opened the door slightly poking her head inside. "Mom, Dad," she called out but again received no answer so walked into the room and into the adjoining ensuite. She placed her bag on the counter and once again began to apply her make-up. When her foundation, blush, and eye make-up had been applied she heard her mother's voice call out, "Ellie, is that you?"

She saw her mother's reflection in the mirror and replied, "Yeah, it's me. My room's lightening isn't very good. I can leave."

Abby Bartlett walked into the bathroom, "No, it's okay. Both your father and I have showered already." She smiled before continuing with, "I noticed your bed wasn't slept in last night."

Ellie stopped applying her eyeliner and looked at her mother's reflection and smiled, "I was with Josh sorry I didn't call."

Abby noticed the smile didn't reach her daughter's eyes as it usually did when she mentioned Josh's name. "It's okay. We assumed that's where you were." She paused before asking, "Is everything okay?"

Ellie finished with her eyeliner and replaced it to the bag. "Honestly Mom, I'm not sure." She admitted.

At this point, Jed walked into the bedroom walking over to the closet, and removed the suit he planned to wear for his speech. He froze when he heard the voices coming from the bathroom.

"What is it?" Abby asked her daughter.

Ellie sighed and said, "I don't know. Last night Josh opened up and told me some things about his life. It felt nice, knowing that he was sharing something of himself, some of it rather painful, with me." She paused, remembering Josh's admission about his sister.

"But?" Abby asked hoping to encourage her daughter to continue.

"But this morning, I don't know, he was more closed off than I've ever seen him."

"How so?"

"When I woke up he was already up, just sitting in a chair and staring into space. I tried to engage him in conversation but he just sat there really. When I went into the bathroom Donna came into the room…"

"And?"

"And he had no problem opening up to her. He just began to rant about all this work related stuff. He said they were blowing some RU four something or other, rambled on about reporters not reporting on the issues, mumbled something about guns not killing you, Bartlett does…"

Jed who'd sat on the edge of the bed chuckled to himself at that line getting Josh's attempt a humour, also realizing he must have been talking about RU four-eighty-six.

"Ellie…" Abby broke into the conversation.

"No, Mom. The thing is it's not so much what he was saying, but how he was saying it. He was so upset. He kept repeating he could make a phone call and Dad wouldn't have to be involved, he punched the doorframe to the bathroom, he was so angry and frustrated. Then he told Donna he'd blown big tobacco and the election was going to be very close."

"Did he explain himself to you? "Abby asked calmly.

"No, but he apologized."

"So…"

"Mom, it wasn't so much his behaviour that bothered me, although it did startle me and I have to admit, scared me a little, but what really bothers me is that something was bothering him to that extent and he didn't turn to me. That hurts."

Jed continued to sit on the bed fighting an internal battle on two fronts. The first one being, should he continue to eavesdrop on this conversation and the other being his own building anger that Josh had scared his daughter with his behaviour. He knew Josh believed passionately in things and in turn could easily become agitated, but that was no excuse for the man to frighten his daughter.

Jed was brought out of his inner thoughts when he heard his wife's voice. "Perhaps he opened up to Donna because she'd know what he was talking about without his having to explain himself." She reasoned.

"He was just so upset, mom. It broke my heart, add to that that last night he admitted that the staff, himself included, are still hurt and angry with dad over his whole MS thing…"

"I know." Abby interrupted, although she was shocked to hear that Josh would admit such a thing.

"He said Dad's never apologized to them. He knows Dad doesn't have to but said it would still be nice. I can sort of understand where he's coming from."

"Really, even though you believe your father is right?"

"Yeah, when Josh first told me Dad had informed him about his MS, I quickly realized Josh was taking it personally. He actually said at one point –he lied to me – He didn't say that dad had lied to them, but me. And I suddenly saw where he was coming from. Josh gave Dad his blind faith and Dad ripped that away from him."

Abby sighed hearing this information. Since her husband had gone public with his disease, she'd questioned their decision to keep it hush-hush. At the time it had seemed like the right thing to do, but now, she wasn't so sure.

At this point Jed removed himself from the bed with his suit in his hands. His daughter had just given him a lot to think about. Abby had told him he needed to reach out to his staff and he honestly hadn't taken her that seriously at the time. Now, he was racking his brain trying to remember if he had indeed apologized to his staff or not? He'd always assumed he had. But with Delores' death following so closely behind his admission to his staff he couldn't remember if he had or not. He would have to believe he hadn't and of course his staff was still reeling. His lack of an apology was downright appalling, making him come off as an arrogant bastard that didn't care about those young people working so diligently on his behave. As he walked out of the room he decided he'd tell them today that he was sorry.

Back in the master bath, Abby took her daughter's hand in hers and said, "Ellie, you said yourself Josh opened up about some personal stuff last night. Maybe he doesn't want to overwhelm you."

"Maybe, but I don't want just a piece of him, Mom. I want all of him, warts and all." Ellie replied.

Abby, while feeling Ellie's pain was actually happy to hear her daughter saying those words. It meant that Ellie was doing some major growing up. Real love usually came with hills and valley, as well as times of peace and time of chaos or disharmony.

"Hang in there, Ellie. It's never easy navigating through this phase in a relationship, but it's doable and for those who come out on the other side it can have some rather wonderful gifts." She smiled.

Ellie returned her mother's with a weak smile of her own, "That's not all."

"Oh?" Abby raised her eyebrows.

"This morning I kind of let the love word slip out."

"Hmm…" Abby responded, "Are you telling me neither, you or Josh have said the words yet?"

Ellie shook her head no.

"It's been months!" Abby returned before asking, "Did you let it slip before or after Josh's mini explosion?"

"After."

"I see." Abby said. "How did he respond?"

"He didn't really."

"Okay, so what happens now?" Abby asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. Leo told me not to keep my feelings bottled up."

"Leo did?"

"Yeah, I drove over with him this morning."

"Well, Leo knows Josh well enough. I'd listen to him; on the other hand, I wouldn't push Josh too much. If he's stressed out with work related issues…." Abby didn't finish her sentence.

Ellie could see the concern on her mother's face, "He told me about his PTSD."

"He did?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that was a good thing to open up with."

"Yeah, like I said, he's really opening up in some areas, but I want it all, mom."

"I know, but you have to take what's offered, Ellie. The best advice I can give you is you have to let Josh know he can talk to you about work related issues that are bothering him. He's not a mind reader and all he really knows concerning you and politics is that you don't like it. It may lead him to believe you don't want to be involved in that area of his life."

Ellie reached into her cosmetic bag and withdrew her lipstick, fiddling with it. "That makes sense."

The two women stood for a while not saying anything to each other. Ellie applied the color to her lips while Abby squeezed some hand lotion into her left palm and then rubber her hands together, the thick liquid absorbing into her skin. She looked at her daughter's reflection trying to gauge whether or not she should delve deeper into her daughter's relationship or listen to her own advice and accept what Ellie was offering her. Finally she decided there was only one way to find out how open Ellie was willing to be this morning.

"How about your sex life is everything okay there?"

"Pardon me?" Ellie's eyes caught her mother's in the mirror, shock written all over her face.

"You know, the sex is still good?" The first lady asked.

"MOM!" Ellie's eyes were huge.

"Don't think of me as your mother right now. Think of me more as a counsellor of sorts. I only ask because if not, it's symptomatic of other problems in the relationship." Abby defended herself. She watched as Ellie's face turned a pretty shade of pink. "I take it that response is a yes."

"Mother!"

"Ellie, we're both adults, there's no need to be embarrassed. I'm not naïve enough to believe you're still a virgin or that you and Josh haven't slept together."

"Yes."

"Yes what?" Abby asked confused.

"Yes the sex is still great; as a matter of fact it continues to get better and better." The crimson color on Ellie's face was turning a deeper shade of red as she remembered Josh having found her G-spot the night before.

"That's a good sign. It's probably due partially to you guys becoming more familiar with each other and your growing closer emotionally. You are being careful, right?

"Of course!"

"What type of birth control are you using?" Abby questioned.

Ellie sighed; she and her mother hadn't had this conversation in a very long time, not since she'd left home for college. "I'm on the pill. Plus, we continue to use condoms."

"Really?"

"That surprises you?"

"A little, you've been seeing each other for a while now, surely he's been tested?"

Ellie nodded her head, "Yes, so have I."

"And you're both fine?"

"Yes."

"Okay, as a medical practitioner I can assure you that the use of condoms isn't really necessary any more as long as both of you are being faithful."

"I know. It's just never come up."

"Josh hasn't asked…."

"No."

"Oh. I guess things are different than when I was young. In my day, boys, or men, wanted nothing more than to do away with the condom. I guess aids and other STDs have changed the sexual landscape."

"I guess. I've never even considered…"

"Really? Not even with Josh?"

"No. Is that odd?"

"No, sex is personal and as long as both partners are happy and no one's getting hurt, than anything and everything is game."

Ellie smiled as she added, "Josh told me the same thing once."

"He did, did he?" Abby returned the smile.

Ellie blushed, "Yeah, he did."

"Does this discussion make you uncomfortable?"

"A bit, it's kind of weird discussing my sex life with my mother."

"Ellie, I think it's time you started to think of me as more than just your mother. I'd like to think we're on more equal footing these days. You're a grown woman. Do you not think Liz and I have these types of discussions?"

Ellie smiled at her mother again, "As long as you don't talk about you and dad."

"If you insist, just remember you can always ask me anything, even if it's sexual in nature."

"I know and I appreciate it. I really do. So many of my friends can't talk to their mothers I feel sad for them."

"That is sad." Abby agreed.

"Actually, can I ask you something?"

"You know you can."

"I mean do we have time? Don't we have to leave soon?"

Abby looked at her watch, "No, we have about an hour or so."

"Kay, well, um…"

Abby remained quiet letting her daughter compose herself, knowing this was difficult for her. She also knew part of what made having this sort of discussion difficult for Ellie was the fact that it involved one of her father's senior advisors as well.

"When we have sex with me on top…well…it hurts…"

Abby continued to remain quiet trying to formulate some questions before answering with a simple, "Always?"

Ellie shook her head back and forth, "No, only if Josh thrusts or I go all the way down. Is that normal? Is there something wrong?"

"Is that the only time you experience pain?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't think there's anything wrong. You're petite it's probably only a matter of size differences. Have you had a physical recently?"

"Almost a year ago, but I did have an exam when I went back on the pill." Ellie answered.

"And there was nothing out of the ordinary?"

"No."

"Then I'm pretty sure it's only the size thing, but if it hurts at other times, I'd like you to go back to your doctor."

"Okay."

"Josh is okay about it?"

"Yeah, he really is the first guy I've been with who thinks about me and what I want or need."

"He's a grown man with I'm sure a lot of experience in these matters, Ellie. Men don't usually understand the whole concept of foreplay until they reach their late twenties and considering Josh is long past his late twenties, it doesn't surprise me that he's attentive. I'm happy for you that he's proven to be mature, any other questions?"

"I don't think so, other than the love thing. I'm confused about that still."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." Ellie replied without hesitation.

"Then don't be afraid to tell him. Honestly, Ellie, if he can't handle it after this much time than he'll probably never be ready, but he's proven himself to be a grown man I think he can handle it."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then he doesn't feel the same way. It doesn't have to be the end of the world, for all you know he may feel the same way but isn't ready to admit it, or maybe he doesn't know it yet. This is a grown up relationship, Ellie, I know it's new to you, but the most important part of any relationship is communication."

**WW**

Josh stood quietly continuing to listen to the argument Doug had concerning the wording of the President's speech. He was wondering how much longer it would be before the man's bald head would actually explode from atop his shoulders. While the staff continued to weigh in on the definition of the word torpor, Josh kept thinking about his upcoming meeting with Bruno. The other man didn't know they had a meeting, but they were going to talk so Josh could make clear where he stood on certain issues. He was starting to formulate his own speech in his head when the President walked into the room.

**WW**

Josh and the rest of the campaign staff followed President Bartlet onto the platform, clapping his hands as the First Lady introduced her husband. He noticed right away Ellie and her sisters already standing off to the side also clapping their hands. Liz's husband and two kids were also present. Annie, Liz's daughter, gave Josh a quick wave. He didn't see them much, but whenever he attended a Bart let family gathering when the Westin's were involved, he usually ended up playing at least five or six rounds of crazy eights with the young girl and she seemed to enjoy his company. He waved back and gave her a small smile before he looked toward Ellie. She was watching him, a tiny smile of her own present. They locked eyes and Ellie's smile disappeared. Josh's gut tightened, his thoughts returning to the mornings episode in the bathroom. He was such an idiot. He really needed to sort through his feelings, but the very thought scared him. Why, he couldn't place his finger on the answer to that question, but knew he had to figure it out. Otherwise he'd end up chasing her off and knew he didn't like that outcome one bit. He slowly turned his head toward the crowd and tried to concentrate on the President's speech. The very one that had Toby, Sam, and Doug at odds with one another all week. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh realized he could have stepped in and settled their dispute, but he knew Toby wouldn't have appreciated it, besides, the three men needed to find a working relationship and that wouldn't happen if he stepped in at every turn, and it would only make things worse in the long run. Not to mention Leo didn't seem too concerned either, Josh did however feel Doug needed to put a little more trust in the administrations communication staff. Toby and his staff had a feel for how the President spoke, and not just his words, but his pacing, his inflections, his passions, and his tone. President Bartlett didn't just make speeches. The man reached out and touched, inspired his audiences. Toby and Sam understood that. They knew they were writing for a talented orator, Doug needed to stop fighting over the words and understand the importance of the entire message, the sooner the better as far as he was concerned. Before he knew it, President Bartlet had wrapped up his re-election announcement and the crowd was on its feet cheering, the high school band was playing and the first family was standing together in a row, hands clasped and holding them high in the air in triumph and solidarity. His colleagues were clapping and cheering as well. Josh placed a couple of fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Obviously the speech the President had just given had held true to form and had inspired the crowd. When the President turned and walked back into the school house, everyone else on the platform followed. When he came within a foot of Ellie, Josh reached out and placed his arm around her waist pulling her into his side.

"You look beautiful." He whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, and you were right."

"About?"

"You cleaned up nicely."

"Told you." he smiled.

Ellie smiled back, her heart racing. His smile always seemed to have that affect on her, plus he did look like his old self. "Are you coming back to the house?" She asked.

"Yeah." He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. He smiled when his actions elicited a small moan from her. When he broke their kiss Josh saw Bruno out of the corner of his eyes; the man was about to exit the building with Connie so Josh called out to him. "Hey, Bruno, can I talk to you a minute?"

The older man looked behind him and turned back to Connie saying something before he responded, "Sure."

"I need to do this. I'll see you at the farm." Josh stated.

"Kay." Ellie answered reluctantly, not wanting to break contact with him.

He slipped his other arm around her waist and once again kissed her, nothing explicit or sensual, just a quick peck goodbye. Although Josh knew in his heart any touch between himself and Ellie couldn't help but be sensual.

When Ellie retreated towards her family, Josh approached Bruno, "Can we talk in private?"

"Yeah, sure," Bruno said turning to Conning he added, "I'll see you back at Bart let's farm, Connie." He said dismissing his staff member.

Josh walked into the classroom where the President only moments before had finally apologized to Josh and the rest of the senior staff; he closed the door when Bruno followed him in.

"What's up?" Bruno asked.

"Your staff."

Josh watched as Bruno looked him in the eye. He could tell by the older man's posture that Bruno was bracing for an unpleasant conversation. Josh knew the man wasn't happy, but he could care less.

"What about my staff?" Bruno asked; trying to sound casual, but even he could hear the uneasiness in his voice.

That spurred Josh on. He usually did his best work when he blindsided his opponent. Not that he considered the strategist his opponent, but it was time to set the record straight on who was who here.

"They lack respect," was Josh's one sentence answer.

Bruno stared Josh down, not giving away anything. "Respect of what exactly?"

"It's who actually." Josh answered.

Bruno just continued to stare.

"Here's the thing. So far I've overlooked the fact that you and your staff haven't been working day in and day out with the President like we have, but the free ride is over. Both you and your team as of right now will follow Presidential protocol." Josh stopped there and stared back at Bruno.

"Protocol, you're candidate is up to his eyeballs in political horse manure and you're concerned about protocol?"

"Absolutely."

"Why?"

"Because as you so eloquently put it, we're already up to our eyeballs in horse manure, we'll be fighting this war on many fronts, so it would help if your staff started to show the President and the office he holds their due respect. Of course, that needs to start with you."

"Me?" Bruno couldn't have hidden his surprise if he'd tried.

"Yes. Just now you told Connie you'd see her back at the Bartlet farm. Anyone not holding the Bartlet surname should refer to it as the President's family farm. Your people continually refer to the President simply as Bartlet, until the American public says otherwise; he will be referred to as President Bartlet. So as of right now, you and your staff start following protocol or you'll find yourselves kicked out on your asses. Understood?"

Bruno stared at Josh a long time before he finally spoke, replying with, "And you'll make this ass kicking happen?"

"Yes." Was all Josh said.

"I see, and you have this authority?" Bruno held a challenge in his voice.

"Look, Bruno, I respect your work, but in the long run you're a hired hand. You'd be wise to remember that."

"Josh..."

"Bruno, I got you hired and I won't think twice about having you fired if you guys don't adhere to Presidential protocol. You said it yourself; we already have a huge battle on our hands. If your guys start spouting off at the mouth without respecting at least the office of the President than the press and through them the public is going to pick up on it. I'm not about to let that happen."

Bruno continued to stare at Josh, trying to figure out if Josh was bluffing or not.

Josh however didn't hold his tongue for long, "On this campaign, you're only given two chances, you've already used one Bruno. I suggest you hold a little staff meeting and set things straight."

"You're running my itinerary now, Josh?"

"Someone needs to. I need to go." With that Josh left the room and found Sam waiting in the hallway.

"Hey," he greeted the speech writer.

"Hey. I saw you and Bruno head in," Sam nodded his head towards the doorway Josh had just excited from. "I thought you might need a ride back to the Presidential farm."

"Thanks."

"Everything okay back there?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

**WW**

Arriving at the farmhouse, the two didn't wait long to join the rest of the staff and the Bartlet family in a small celebration. Josh grabbed himself a beer from the enormous ice filled tub sitting on the kitchen floor before loosening his tie and leaning against the countertop next to Larry who was chatting with Connie, Carol, and Zoey.

"Hi." Josh slide up to Zoey Bartlet and embraced her, "Good to see you, Zoey, how you doing?" he asked as he pulled out of the hug but kept his arms wrapped around her.

She replied with a smile and a "great" just as Ellie walked up to the group. "Are you flirting with my sister again?" She asked as she came to a standstill beside Josh and leaned slightly into him.

"Me, flirt?" Josh feigned innocence, "Larry, would I ever flirt?" he asked as he brought his hand up to his chest.

Larry shot his head toward Josh, "I don't think I'll answer that?"

"Chicken." Zoey chuckled.

"I'm not chicken, it's just, well, technically Josh has the ability to fire me." His mouth formed into a grin as he spoke.

"Respect, I command respect." Josh lifted his beer to his mouth.

Ellie snorted before saying, "Right, it's not respect, its fear."

As the others bantered about whether or not the Deputy Chief of Staff elicited fear or respect Ellie commented to the man in question, "Dad's speech was great."

"A lot of work went into it." He said before taking a swig of his beer and placing it on the counter behind him.

"Where'd you disappear to?"

"No where, I just needed to speak to Bruno in private."

"Oh."

Josh leaned his backside against the counter and smiled at Zoey's defending the fact that his co-workers should have a little fear of him. When she saw Josh looking at her she turned her attention toward him, "So Josh, what's happening with the Mets?" She teased

Josh shook his head in disgust. "Trust me, if I had an answer I wouldn't be above making a phone call."

"Oh, you think you're a baseball consultant now?" She laughed.

"I know baseball."

"Josh." Zoey chided.

"I do." He defended as he saw Bruno and Leo walk out the front door together.

**WW**

"What's on your mind?" Leo asked the political consultant.

"Josh."

"What about him?"

"He threatened to fire me."

Leo held back the smirk that threatened to overtake his features, "He did?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He doesn't think my team is following protocol."

"Are they?" Leo asked.

"I'm not really sure. I'll have to speak to them. But, Leo, I don't appreciate your Deputy's threats. He's not the one who hired me."

"True, but I have news for you, Bruno. He's the one who suggested you be brought on board. At some point if Josh feels your services are no longer needed, then they won't be needed." Leo stated in his matter of fact tone.

"Just like that?" Bruno snapped his fingers to emphasis his words.

"Yes."

"Are you telling me that Josh Lyman is pulling the strings now?"

"No, what I'm saying his Josh Lyman is a permanent advisor to the President. He's earned his place, and need I also remind you, that he has a much more vested interest in the outcome of this election than you do."

"I don't like to lose anymore than Josh Lyman does." Bruno retorted.

"I'm not sure about that, but ultimately if the President loses the election than Josh is out of a job, you're not."

"He's a bright guy. I'm sure he'd find a new job easily enough."

"Maybe so, but he likes the one he currently holds. We all do, so we're going into battle with a more personal fight than you and your team."

"So Josh has a stronger say than I do?"

"Yes." Leo nodded his head.

"Okay then, I guess I need to speak to my staff."

"Good idea. I'm sure it wouldn't look good for you to be fired so early in a campaign." Leo threw in his own warning.

**WW**

The small group in the kitchen was continuing to banter back and forth as the President joined them. "Josh how was my speech?" he asked.

"Exceptional, Sir, you command respect." He smirked downward toward Ellie and she rolled her eyes at him.

"That's what I thought as well." Jed replied ignoring his middle daughter's reaction. "Do you have a drink yet?"

"Yes Sir." Josh replied.

"Good, grab it and come take a walk with me." The President commanded.

"Yes, Sir." Josh grabbed his beer from the counter behind him and shrugged his shoulders at Ellie when he saw the unasked question in her eyes.

He followed the President through the kitchen and out the back door. Neither man spoke until they reached the wooden fence that ran the perimeter of the Bartlet property. The President reached up and rested his forearms along the railing and rested his right foot along the bottom rail. He took a deep breath and said, "It's beautiful here."

"Yes Sir." Josh looked out at the field before them.

"Peaceful, a man can concentrate here. Clear his head and get down to business."

Josh continued to look out at the field as he tried to guess where their conversation was headed.

"Do you have a place where you find solace, Josh?"

"Excuse me, Sir?"

"You know, Josh, somewhere where you can regroup, unwind, and take a load off."

Josh still didn't know where this talk was heading, but he had the distinct feeling it wasn't going to be one he would like. "Um...no not really, sir."

"You need to find one, Josh. It'll make a world of difference in your life."

Josh let the comment slide and the two men remained silent for a few minutes. Finally, the President spoke again. "Maybe instead of needing a place to unwind, you need to learn ways in order not to get so worked up."

Josh continued to remain silent, still trying to figure out the direction of the conversation. Finally Jed got to the point, "Josh, this morning, I accidently overheard Ellie talking to her mother."

Jed let the sentence hang there before he continued, "One of the things I've always taken pride in is the fact that my staff works well together. You people always seem to band together and assist one another whether the individual has asked for it or not. Josh, if you need help and you're not receiving, you know all you have to do his ask for it, right?"

Josh took a deep breath, "yes, sir."

"Are you in need of any help?"

"No."

Jed didn't like the response his Deputy gave him and his patience was wearing thin. "I wasn't in your hotel room this morning, Josh, but it would seem your behaviour has left an impression with my daughter. She couldn't help but feel you were angry, frustrated, and even hurting. Josh, as your boss I didn't like what I was overhearing, if you're struggling at work, you need to step up and say so. Rosslyn and your subsequent breakdown weren't that long ago, so as your boss and your friend, I'm concerned about your well being."

"Sir..." Josh started but was cut off.

"As your girlfriends father, I'm also concerned, but on a very different level. Your outburst today scared my daughter young man, and I have to say, I'm certainly not going to put up with that."

"That wasn't my intention. I was frustrated, I've made some strategic mistakes, Sir, and I'm struggling with how to fix them, hell they may not even be fixable. We may just have to cut our losses there and move along. The only problem with that is the mistakes are rather huge and are going to make this election much closer than it should be."

"I know about your mistakes, Josh. You're human, and as such you're going to make mistakes, but you can't let yourself get worked up over them. As a team we'll move on and do what we can to minimize their affects on the outcome of this election. Don't beat yourself up over it, Josh, and certainly don't let it creep into your personal life. That's how you got into trouble at Christmas time." The President warned.

Again silence fell as each man tried to determine what to say next. The President was contemplating his next move when Josh broke the void.

"I'm not really sure you're the person to talk to, but I find I'm in a bind, Sir, and I'm not sure where to go from here."

"If nothing else, I'm listening." The older man smiled.

"Part of my building frustration, Sir, is not talking it through. In the past, I've dated woman who've understood the language I speak. I've been able to mull things over, exchange ideas, and debate the issues with the women in my life. I didn't realize how much it's helped me in reaching ideas and conclusions."

"You haven't always been in a relationship, what have you done in between girlfriends?"

"I've had Donna." Josh announced.

"Should I be asking you to clarify that statement?"

Josh smirked realizing how that sentence could sound. "I mean verbally, Sir. Donna listens to me, argues with me, and challenges my opinions. It helps me think things through."

"Josh, need I remind you that Ellie grew up in a political household? She may not have paid close attention to it, but she is a bright young woman, with her own opinions I might add. She just might surprise you with what she thinks and believes. Sure she may not always comprehend the entire situation, but I'm sure Donna doesn't always either. Rumour has it you're a fairly patient teacher."

"You wanna know the truth, Sir?"

"Always Josh, and you never seem to fail me in that department. So why start now?"

"A large part of my attraction to Ellie is that she and I aren't always debating the issues and talking shop. It's a nice break." Josh admitted.

"That I can understand, but Josh, you're a political beast, you can't always turn it off. Sometimes you're going to need to hash things out and if it means using Ellie as a sounding board than that's what it means. Do you think that my wife was always this passionate about politics, Josh?"

"I don't really know, Sir."

"She wasn't, I created that beast inside her. Don't get me wrong, she always cared about issues and argued with me when she thought I was wrong about something, but over time, she's come into her own. I've always suspected Leo has had a hand in it as well. He wanted to make sure I was always on my toes. Oh, he'll deny it, but on this I'm sure."

Josh chuckled knowing the President's suspicions were most likely accurate. Again silence followed as the two men continued to stare out at the field in front of them. Josh took in the horses galloping and the gentle sway of the grass as it got caught up in the breeze. He could understand what the president was talking about, the peace and tranquility one could find here was relaxing. It was completely at odds with the way he was currently feeling inside.

"Mr. President, I'm scared." He finally spoke.

Jed was caught off guard at Josh's admission. The last thing he ever thought when it came to his Deputy Chief of Staff was fear. The man could stand up to any Senator, Congressman, lobbyist, or any other self serving individual without blinking and eye or backing down. What could possibly have Josh Lyman afraid? Knowing he wouldn't know the answer to that million dollar question without asking, he did. "Of what?"

"Of screwing this up."

"Josh, I've already explained we'll move on from this and minimize the affects the best we can."

"Sir, while the election has me concerned, that's not what I was talking about. I'm afraid of blowing this relationship with Ellie."

"I see." Was Jed's brief reply, trying to formulate his approach to this conversation. When he was unable to come up with it he decided just ask, after all, this discussion had never taken place with Doug. "What has you so concerned?"

While continuing to look straight ahead at the horses Josh elaborated. "I've never been very good at personal relationships. I have a few close friends, but not many."

"Why is that, Josh?"

"I don't like the idea of people being hurt because of me or my actions."

"Josh, you give yourself too much credit. People control their own destiny; they're responsible for their own happiness. If they aren't happy with you, then it's up to them to decide to cut their losses. We have to take chances in life; they don't always end in our favour."

"I realize that, Sir. But over the years I've developed this habit of pushing people away once they start to get too close, I don't know how to break that cycle."

"And you're currently finding yourself at this place?"

"Yes."

"Then you have a choice to make, Josh. Either you stay with what's familiar and push my daughter away, or you find the courage to bring yourself out of your comfort zone and hold onto her. Letting her know your thoughts and feelings would be a good start."

When the younger man remained quiet, Jed decided to push Josh into that scary place he'd been talking about earlier. "Do you care about my daughter, Josh?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"The way a man should care about a woman? Or just in generalized terms?" Jed questioned.

Josh swallowed the lump in his throat, "I care enough to not want to scare her off, I just don't know how?"

While not completely liking Josh's answer, as any father would have preferred to hear a man in Josh's position confess to loving his daughter, the president respected Josh's honesty. "Then open up to her and be honest with yourself. To take this relationship beyond the initial intrigue and the physical, to the next step, then you have to start sharing more of your complete self with her. You just might be surprised with what that might accomplish."

Josh knew if he were a self-conscious man he would surely be turning three different shades of red right now. Here he was talking with the President of the United States of American and the man was hinting at the fact that Josh had actually bedded his daughter. This truly was turning into a surreal conversation.

"I'd like to think if my father were alive I'd be able to have a talk with him on what I should be or shouldn't be doing, but most importantly, I'd ask him how and when he knew he was in love with my mother." Josh spoke very softly, not particularly comfortable with his words and to whom he was speaking them to.

"Josh, you don't have to answer me out loud, but ask yourself these simple questions. Who is the first person you think of when you wake up in the morning? Who is the last person you think about before you fall asleep at night? Do you go out of your way to make time to see my daughter? Do you make even small sacrifices you'd never believe yourself capable of in order to spend time with her or to try and make her happy? Those questions are good indicators to the answer to your question."

"I understand that sir, what I don't understand is the difference between loving someone and being in love, does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. Josh, I think if you look deep inside you'll find the answer to that question."

The two men remained quiet for a few minutes, both deep with their own thoughts before Jed piped up, "Despite what you may believe young man, I'm comfortable with you and Ellie spending time together and with your confessions about worrying about hurting her, your approval rating just went up. You're a fine man, Josh; Ellie could and has done much worse." Jed smiled as he placed an arm on Josh's shoulder. "Now let's get back into the house so I can hear more complements on my, or should I say, mine, Toby's, and Sam's speech."

"Yes, sir, but don't forget Doug." Josh turned to head back into the house.

"Doug?" The president questioned.

"Wegland, Bruno's guy, he helped with the speech."

"Right, the guy who wanted me to speak beneath myself," Jed added.

"He's new, Sir. Give him some time to get up to speed."

Jed stopped and locked eyes with his Deputy, "Like I said you're a fine man, Josh. Does your loyalty know no bounds?"

"Yes it does, Sir." Josh replied.

The two men walked across the lawn not realizing that many sets of eyes were on them. Two from within the house as Abby watched them from an upstairs bedroom and Ellie from the kitchen window, while Leo McGarry watched from the side yard. All three caught up in wondering why these two men would be embroiled in a private discussion at the moment.

**WW**

When Josh returned to the crowd in the kitchen he noticed both Sam and CJ had joined the group. He came to a standstill next to Ellie and took a pull on his beer. "Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yep, fine." He replied.

"Josh, could I speak to you a minute?" CJ's voice carried across the room.

"Sure." Josh replied hiding his weariness. He wanted nothing more than to return to his hotel room, take a shower and climb into bed. He was running on very little sleep and it was starting to catch up to him. He followed CJ out into the backyard turning to face her. "What's up?"

"You tell me, il mio amore." CJ responded.

"I don't know what..."

"Josh, Sam told me you had a closed door meeting with Bruno. Just now, Bruno and Leo were engrossed in a private conversation and the President hauled you off to detention, too. What's going on?"

"CJ..."

"Josh...My job is much easier when I'm in the loop." CJ lamented.

"Look, Bruno and I had a little talk about his staff lacking respect for the Presidential office, that's all. As for what he and Leo talked about, you'll have to ask one of them." Josh shrugged.

"And you and the president?" CJ folded her arms across her chest.

"That's private."

"Josh."

"CJ, it was a private conversation. A personal conversation, it had nothing to do with the election or the administration." Josh shot back.

The press secretary closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, "is everything okay?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, why does everyone feel the need to ask me that? Things are fine."

"Okay."

"What about you? How are things?" Josh asked.

"Fine I guess. The president wouldn't accept my resignation."

"Did you honestly expect him to?"

"Yes."

"Well he didn't, you get a second chance, CJ. Our guy believes people make mistakes, but is willing to allow them to learn from them. So accept your mistake, learn from it, and move on. We need your head in the game." Josh instructed CJ realizing President Bartlet had been pretty much informing him to do the same only moments before.

CJ turned her gaze from her friend and tightened her hold on herself. The movement wasn't lost on Josh. "Look CJ, anyone in your position would be struggling. He lied to us and then expected us to act as if nothing had happened. The big difference being that the rest of us get to hide our disappointment, with you it's tougher. You're the administrations face, and you have to answer the questions. You're doing an admirable job; you just got caught up in the moment. It was a mistake, trust me, I know what it's like to have your neck out there on the chopping block. It's uncomfortable and a part of you just wishes someone would lower the axe and put you out of your misery. It's time to forgive yourself."

CJ turned to look at her friend and smiled, "You're sweet, thanks for the pep talk."

"It's purely selfish; we need you on your game because I've screwed up."

CJ groaned, "Josh..."

"Look, once we get back to DC I'll fill you in, but right now, I'd rather be spending time with Ellie." Josh took a quick glance towards the house.

"Okay, but could you do me a favour and try not to screw up again for at least a few months, giving me a much needed break? You're the biggest reason this job is going to put me in an early grave." CJ teased.

"I'll try." Josh smiled while guiding the press secretary up the stairs to the back porch.

**WW**

"You sure everything's okay?" Ellie asked as they walked into Josh's hotel room later that evening.

"Yeah." Josh replied while removing his tie and unbuttoning the top button on his dress shirt.

"You seemed to be embroiled in a lot of private conversations today." Ellie mentioned while dropping into the wing back chair she found Josh in that morning.

"Welcome to world of the Deputy Chief of Staff." Josh teased as he picked the TV remote off the desk and turned the TV on to CNN and sat on the desk's matching chair. He watched the Bartlet family with hands held high above their heads as Anderson Cooper droned on about the President officially launching his bid for re-election in the shadow of his admission to with holding his illness from the public.

"Is this election going to be tougher than the last one?"

Josh turned his head to see Ellie watching him and not the television. "You're asking me?"

"Yes, I trust you above Anderson any day of the week." She nodded her head.

"It's going to be very tough and very close. We've all made mistakes and it's going to hurt us. But we have a very determined and capable team so we should be able to pull it off again." Josh answered her.

"Of that I'm sure." She smiled, but quickly followed with. "I'm worried about you."

Josh felt his insides twist and pushed down his raising panic, "Don't, I'm okay."

"You didn't sound okay this morning."

Ellie watched as Josh took in a deep breath and opened his mouth to respond.

"Josh, please don't placate me. You were upset and frustrated. You barely slept last night and I'm worried. I care about you and want to help you if I can." She noticed a shift in his face just before he answered her.

"I screwed up a couple of important issues, and I'm not sure we can salvage them. You're father is going to have a big enough battle on his hands to win this election without me fucking things up. I played right into the Republican's hands; I did just what they wanted me to do. I made a stupid rookie blunder and it could end up costing your father his presidency. If I were a bigger man, I'd resign."

"Josh, the last thing my father would want you to do is step down. He understands that life is full of winding roads, while he may demand perfection from those around him, he rarely expects it."

"I agree, but Ellie, I've blown two things right on top of each other! I can't just blow them off as my having a bad week. One of these issues could so easily be fixed but Leo won't let me..."

"Josh, do you trust Leo?" Ellie cut him off.

"Of course."

"Then follow his advice." Ellie got up out of her chair and walked towards Josh, lowering herself onto his lap when she finally reached him. She placed a hand on either side of his face and placed a soft kiss onto his lips. "Leo would never let you fall." She said when she came up for air.

"Actually, he may let me fall, but he'd help me back up." Josh replied thinking back on Leo's promise and story the night he'd met with Stanley Keyworth, while wrapping his arms around the woman sitting in his lap and taking her ear lobe between his lips. His actions brought a soft moan from her and she stretched her neck allowing him full access. He brought his hands down to her hips and spun her so she was now straddling him.

As she turned on his lap, Ellie looked Josh in the eyes. "Are you sure you don't need some sleep?"

"Positive." Josh replied against her lips as Ellie felt his right hand come to rest on her lower back and pulled her closer to his body. She couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly the hollowness between her legs fit snugly against the growing bulge between his legs.

His lips were soon placing soft kisses along her collar bone toward her neck. God how she loved the way he loved her, as if he cherished every inch of her. She heard a moan escape from between her lips and felt her nipples starting to peak and push against the fabric of her bra. She couldn't help but wiggle her lower region so it was now grinding against his erection. He groaned and her already excited state doubled. His mouth continued to kiss and suckle the tender skin of her throat while his hands came to rest underneath both her breast. She felt his index fingers begin to lightly caress the sides of her breasts as she reached her hands up to run them through his hair.

As she rolled her head back to help guide Josh's soft and warm lips to the other side of her throat she felt his thumbs slide across her already erect nipples and let out another groan. This seemed to encourage him as he was now unbuttoning her blouse never once relinquishing his travels along her throat. Once he had her blouse open and pushed aside his left hand returned to her breast while the right one found the front closure and quickly undid it, allowing him better access. His mouth now began to travel north and soon she felt him take her one of her awaiting nipple into his mouth. She arched her back pushing herself into him. Once again he groaned and she found her own excitement increasing yet again. "Josh." She moaned when she felt her nipple slipping out of his mouth. She let out a small pleasurable gasp when he blew onto the now slightly cool peak.

"Hmm?" he replied while continuing to blow against her and kneading her other breast with his hand.

"Take me to bed." She responded.

Without a protest Josh stood, holding her against his body as he walked them to the bed and she found herself being gently placed on the huge yet comfortable bed. She lay there looking up at him and her stomach did a flip flop as it usually did when she witnessed the pure lust and desire spread across his face. She still couldn't believe it sometimes when she found herself in bed with Josh. She let out a sigh of contentment when he finally lay down beside her. It didn't take long before they were engaged in some heavy duty kissing and petting. While recovering from a rather intense orgasm from breast stimulation alone, Ellie found herself lying on her back her eyes closed and taking in the sweet sensation of Josh's index finger drawing slow circles on her torso. She lay there trying to slow down her breathing but realizing it was useless as she felt Josh's finger traveling lower and lower feeling it plough threw her pubic hair and then ever so slightly begin to run along her labia and back up again. She squirmed and involuntarily spread her legs ever so slightly. Then his hand left her more sensitive area and began to caress her inner thigh and back up again, resulting in goose bumps breaking out in its wake.

"Ellie." She heard his husky voice say.

"Hmm?" She replied as she continued to squirm against his caresses.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"Because I want to see your beautiful eyes," he answered.

She obeyed his request and opened her eyes, finding him looking down at her. He was on his side with his upper body being supported by the elbow of his left arm. "You're so beautiful." He murmured before placing his lips on hers. She brought her left hand up and played with the small wisps of hair along the nape of his neck. She pushed her tongue out gaining entry between his lips and teeth. She explored his mouth while his finger continued to caress all around her most sensitive part but never where she desired it the most.

Josh finally pulled his mouth away from hers when her breathing became laboured. "Josh." She panted.

"What?" he answered.

"You're teasing me."

"So it seems." He smirked.

"That's not fair." She once again panted and tried to manoeuvre her lower region so he'd be touching her where she wanted him to.

"You could rectify the situation."

"How?" she asked.

He lowered his head down to her and placed a warm kiss just behind her right ear, "By telling me what you want." He whispered before he lifted his head back up again and looked down at her.

Ellie moistened her lips and looked up at him.

"What do you want, Ellie?" he prodded.

"Josh..." she wanted to scream his name but it ended up coming out barely above a whisper.

He didn't respond but held eye contact with her.

"You're a cruel man." She blew air out between clenched teeth.

"Just a man on a mission." He smirked again.

"Josh...Please...I..." she closed her eyes again and lifted her lower region slightly off the bed.

"Ellie..." he would have continued but Ellie finally gave into her desire for pleasure over her desire to stay in control of the situation and couldn't have surprised herself more by what she said to him.

She closed her eyes and finally pleaded, "Josh...God...Josh...Stop teasing me...I...my...my...pussy can't take it any more...please Josh...Make me cum."

With those words expressed Ellie felt Josh take her clit between his thumb and forefinger and begin to squeeze it, roll it, pull it, and rub it. When she was almost at the point of explosion she felt his lips replace his fingers and that was what finally made her toes curl and her insides catch on fire. The pleasant sensation his suckling finally brought her was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She screamed his name and bucked wildly as she rode out her mind blowing orgasm. When she started to fall back down to earth she felt his body lying beside hers again, as he nuzzled the hollow spot between her throat and collar bone.

"That was awesome." She finally spoke but kept her eyes closed.

"You... were awesome." Josh replied bringing his lips up to her ear and swept gentle kisses across her face before placing a lasting one on her lips. She could taste and smell herself on him and found it enticingly erotic.

"You're an incredible tease." She finally spoke while opening her eyes.

"I don't think I'll hear you complain about the end results." He countered.

"No...No...You won't, but still."

"But still what?" he asked before adding, "You Miss Ellie, have been holding out on me." He answered while lifting his head up and looking her in the eyes.

"How so?" She asked.

"You're a closet naughty girl." He smiled as his index finger began to trace small circles around one of her nipples.

"I beg your pardon?" She feigned outrage.

"You heard me. All this time –months- and I had no idea you're capable of talking naughty in bed."

Ellie could feel her face warming and knew it was more than likely showing by the colour change that was taking place on her cheeks. "I..." She couldn't say anything else.

"Don't be embarrassed, Ellie, that was hot, really, really hot." Josh smiled down at her.

"Honest to god..."

"Trust me, Ellie, that...that was like hotter than hot. You have no idea how turned on I am right now."

Ellie reached down and took his rock hard erection into her hand. "I think I do." She smiled a rather mischievous grin at him as she began to ever so slowly pump her hand up and down.

"You are a bad girl, a bad Catholic school girl." Josh grinned as he tweaked the nipple he'd been circling.

"Not bad and not a school girl, just adventurous," she replied with a grin of her own. Had she said what she'd said earlier to anyone else, she knew she would have been mortified, but with Josh, while she was slightly shocked by her own words, and a little embarrassed, she didn't regret the words, especially now that he seemed to be deriving so much pleasure of his own by them.

"Well, let us see, you're Catholic, right?"

"Yes."

"And you are attending an institution of higher education, right?"

"Yes."

"Well then, Catholic school girl it is."

"You're pathetic." She laughed.

"Come on Ellie; let a pathetic Jewish boy have his fantasy."

She couldn't help but smile at his words, knowing that for many, many years it had been her own fantasy to talk a little raunchy in bed, but she'd never felt safe enough with anyone else to have done it. It was like Josh knew she was holding it in and brought it out. And here he apparently had his own little fantasy going on. A Catholic school girl though, wasn't that like every guys fantasy. Couldn't he have had something a little more original going on?

"I'm not going to last, sweetheart." Josh groaned a rather sexy groan.

"Kay." Ellie let go of his pulsating organ.

Josh left the bed and walked into the bathroom when he returned he had a condom ripped out of its package and kneeled on the bed rolling it on. Ellie didn't take her eyes off of his progress the entire time. Anticipation raced through her veins making her feel as though she were vibrating.

With the condom now in place Josh looked down at her, "Roll over."

"What?" Panic was entering her vibrations.

"Come on, Ell, indulge this pathetic boy and roll over."

Not feeling completely comfortable Ellie swallowed and asked, "Doggie style?"

"Why not?" He replied, and she noticed his eyes sparkling.

"No reason I guess," She said before she followed his request and rolled over so her stomach was flat against the mattress. She drew in a deep breath and then pulled her knees up lifting her bottom into the air. She relaxed a bit when she heard Josh's groan. She relaxed even further when she felt his hands begin to caress her buttock cheeks.

She flinched slightly when she felt the tip of his penis come to rest against her opening. She'd only ever had sex doggy style once before and it hadn't gone well. She'd been apprehensive but her boyfriend John talked her into it. She'd actually just begun to enjoy it when John began barking like a dog and calling her a bitch. Needless to say, the style immediately lost its appeal and all the pleasure she had been feeling had quickly dissipated.

She was brought back to the present when she felt Josh penetrating her. She instinctively pushed her bottom into him and they both let out a groan. Josh continued to caress her rear and for whatever reason she found it enticing and found herself getting more into it when his hands began to squeeze.

She found herself enjoying herself but not trusting that she would continue to, not that she could ever imagine Josh calling her derogatory names or barking like a dog, but the memory lingered close to the service. She decided she needed a connection with him somehow and found herself asking, "Josh, talk to me," as she continued to thrust herself back into him.

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous your ass is?" Josh panted.

"I don't think so." She panted her reply.

"Well it is...remind me to admire it more often." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, Josh...Oh that feels so good." Elllie was surprised at how quickly her orgasm was beginning to build and before Josh could respond to her she was screaming his name in release. When her faculties' returned to her she felt Josh's hands now on her hips and he was pumping into her harder and faster than before her release. She continued to match his movements and could feel another orgasm building.

"Bring you legs closer together, Ell." Josh said between what sounded like gritted teeth.

Again she did as Josh asked and was rewarded when Josh brought his right hand around to her front and found her clit not wasting any time in matching his hands action to his harsh pumping action. It only took a few strokes before both she and Josh were falling over the edge. Having just finished a previous orgasm Ellie found her composure before Josh so continued to match his slower softer pumping actions until she felt his convulsions cease until the both stopped their actions. When she felt Josh begin to withdraw she said, "Not yet."

He complied and stopped his extraction and followed her when she lowered herself to a lying position on the mattress. "Are you okay? That wasn't too rough was it?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine." She nodded her head as she spoke. She could tell he wasn't allowing his full body weight to pin her down but was comforted by his closeness. She shivered when he kissed her neck.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'd really like to take the condom off and get some sleep." Josh said.

"Okay."

Half an hour later they were both cleaned up and settled in bed Ellie lifted her head from its resting place on Josh's chest and looked at him saying, "Thank you for being a decent guy."

Josh raised his eyebrows and said, "Me, decent?"

"Yes."

"Ellie, I don't..."

"Josh, trust me, you're a decent guy, don't argue with me. I've dated some jerks and assholes in my day, you don't compare to them."

Josh ran the fingers of his right hand across his forehead and said, "Sometimes I feel like an asshole."

"Josh..."

"Sometimes I should say more, sometimes less, I wish I could never see a hurt look on your face ever again, but I honestly don't know how to accomplish that."

"You're fine, we're fine. Don't worry so much."

"I'd just like us to be a little more open and honest with one another. That includes saying things you might think I may not want to hear."

Elllie know he was referring to her having used the love word that morning and her insides twisted. Instead of having a huge blown out discussion she decided to just agree. "Okay."

"That includes anytime you feel the need to beg me when we're in bed, or to get me there." He smiled.

Ellie shook her head and laughed, "Okay, maybe you're not so decent after all. And I'd just like to say for the recorded, I wouldn't be forced to beg if you weren't such a tease." With that she pinched his chest.

"Ouch." He rubbed his chest and decided to switch gears. "Are you coming back to DC with us tomorrow?"

"I think so. Originally I was going to stick around with my mom, but she told me at dinner that she's gonna travel back with my dad tomorrow. I guess they managed to resolve whatever was going on between them."

"From a political standpoint, that's good news. I guess from a personal one as well."

"Yeah, no one wants their parents to be arguing, no matter how old one gets."

"That's understandable; I guess that means we'll hopefully get more time together."

"That would be nice, but I understand you're going to be busy."

"True enough, I'm still going to make time for us. As much time as I can anyway."

Ellie smiled at that. Knowing that Josh was making an effort for their relationship was gratifying. She'd heard through so many different grapevines that Josh was a workaholic, even admitted it himself the night they went out with Zoey and Charlie, but he never seemed to fail in at least make an attempt to get together. Many evenings he was called away from dinner or a movie, but she understood the nature of his position and that in reality, he loved his work. One day she would be in the same sort of position herself, being on call or working hours at a time so she admired his dedication as well as his unflappable believe that her father's administration was trying it's best to make the lives of so many people greater than it currently was. Through getting to know him and his dedication and determination she found she was also getting insight into her father, which was nice.

She heard as well as felt Josh's breathing even out and knew he'd fallen asleep. She was looking forward to spending the summer in Washington and therefore being able to spend more time with him. She'd been concerned that not only would he not have time for her but would secretly not want to spend much time with her that hearing him say he was going to make the time was satisfying. She wasn't sure however how much time she would have for him. She hoped to land a volunteer position at a clinic somewhere in the city for the summer. She needed to buckle down and focus on her education and her future in the medical field as much as she could. As she lay listening to Josh's breathing she felt her own breathing evening out and her body begin to relax. She stretched her neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Josh. I love you." Within minutes, she too was sound asleep.


End file.
